


Back to Good

by ambroseansky



Category: WWE
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, F/M, Friendship, Love
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-06-11
Updated: 2018-10-13
Packaged: 2018-11-13 00:19:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 45
Words: 67,207
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11173056
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ambroseansky/pseuds/ambroseansky
Summary: Wrestling has always been his salvation.  From when he was little kid and used it as an escape, to when he was a young adult and it probably saved his life, to now, when it has brought him to the WWE.  Jon Good has found not only fame and success with the WWE, but it also led him to meet the love of his life, whom he married and now has a beautiful baby girl with.  He was definitely living the dream.  But what happens when that dream becomes a nightmare and, for the first time, wrestling threatens to take something away from him that he holds dear?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I do not own any of the WWE characters (ring names or actual names). Any information I have used that has been said about them or shared in interviews, has been used to support a completely fictional story. I own nothing except my OC's (Kayla, Amelia, Derek, Anna, and Ally).

** Chapter 1 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

 

_Come on Kayla, you can do this, I thought as I tried to settle my nerves and psych myself up for my match.  I was just coming back from over a year long hiatus and wanted to make a statement against the current women’s champion.  I was going up against Becky Lynch in the Main Event of Smackdown.  She had only recently been called up to the main roster before I found out I was pregnant and had to take a leave of absence.  I had gotten to know her backstage when I still traveled with my husband and the rest of the roster, but I hadn’t spent that much time in the ring with her.  I had watched a lot of her matches though, and I liked what I saw.  Plus, my husband respected her ability and I trusted his judgment.  Speaking of the devil…he walked into the hallway where I was pacing, with our daughter Amelia in his arms.  He, never one to be conventional, hadn’t ever really called her Amelia.  Instead, he had dubbed her “Mel” from about the moment she was born.  Only he and Colby called her that though.  To everyone else, she was Amelia.  As I regarded them carefully, I could see that Amelia was staring up at him as he cradled her to his chest and spoke animatedly with her._

“Okay Mel, let’s wish your Mommy luck – not that she needs it, because she is amazing.  She is going to go out there and win that women’s title from Becky, isn’t she?” Jon cooed as he glanced over at me.

 

“Damn right I am going to win!” I responded.

 

“And you scold _me_ for swearing in front of Mel,” Jon chuckled.

 

“Only because you do it so often.  Or at least you used to.  Sorry, I am just so pumped for this match.  I haven’t held that title since before I got pregnant with Amelia.  Actually, I haven’t held that title at all.  It was still the Divas Championship belt when I had to vacate it and I really want it back.  Not that I’m complaining.  I certainly don’t have any regrets.  Amelia is definitely worth it.  Aren’t you sweetie?” I asked as I tickled her tummy and looked up at Jon.

 

“Don’t worry sweetheart, we understand, don’t we Mel?”  Jon asked as Mel grabbed his finger and directed a smile in his direction.

 

“Hey there Daddy’s girl, give Mommy some love too,” I requested, as Jon leaned down with Amelia in his arms so I could give her a kiss before leaving for my match.  At 6’4”, compared to my 5’6”, he really had to stoop to allow me to reach her.  “You be nice to Daddy.  He lost his match against the Miz earlier and needs some TLC.”

 

“Don’t say TLC.  It brings back too many painful memories of getting hit with steel chairs and plunging through tables,” Jon joked.  Besides, Dean Ambrose may have lost, but Jon Good is doing just fine.  I have everything I need to cheer me up right here.  And I will be even happier when you win tonight.  At least one of us will be a champion.  Mel and I will be watching.  Well, I’ll be watching.  Mel will most likely fall asleep, but still, she’ll be rooting for you too.  I know it.  Anyway, where was I going with this?  Oh yeah, be careful,” Jon instructed as he leaned down to give me a kiss.

 

“Now wait just a minute,” I responded with a smirk after kissing him back.  “Dean Ambrose is telling me to be careful?  That’s hilarious.”

 

“Nope.  That was not Dean, that was your husband talking,” he replied.

 

“Okay.  Thanks, I will be.  Meet you after the match.  Love you both,” I finished as I got ready to make my entrance.

 

“We love you too,” Jon replied.


	2. Chapter 2

** Chapter 2 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_As I made my way back to my locker room with Mel, I was greeted by several of my co-workers.  Some people directed their greetings to me, while others, especially some of the divas, directed their comments more towards Mel.  I didn’t care.  She and her mom were my everything.  Kayla wasn’t kidding before when she said that Mel is a Daddy’s girl.  Our daughter has had me wrapped around her finger since the moment she was born – even before then really.  Probably from the moment Kayla and I found out that she was on the way.  Her mom had opened up my heart and then Mel had totally taken it over.  With that thought, I smiled down at Mel and noticed that her eyelids were starting to droop._

“Don’t worry sweetpea, I won’t tell Mommy if you sleep through her match,” I said.

_I began gently rubbing her back, as I slowly swayed back and forth.  That always helped her fall asleep.  So did my singing, even though there are those who would claim that I couldn’t sing worth a damn.  But my Mel loved it._

_I adjusted Mel carefully on my shoulder as I took a seat on the couch and clicked on the monitor so I could watch Kayla’s match.  The women had just finished making their entrances and the match was about to start._

“Okay babe, show ‘em what you’ve got!” I whispered enthusiastically.

_Mel soon fell sound asleep on my shoulder, as I continued to watch the match.  I tried to cheer quietly so I didn’t wake her up.  The match itself was pretty incredible, with lots of back and forth action.  You would never know Kayla had been out of action for so long.  My heart swelled with pride because I knew how hard she had worked to come back after Mel was born._

_My attention snapped back to the screen when I heard the crowd chanting, “This is awesome.”  This made me smile because I thought it was about time that the WWE recognized that the women could main event a program just as well as the men._

_Kayla was just beginning to get the upper hand, and I started to anticipate her being able to get the win.  I thought she would go for her finishing move, which is a DDT similar to mine, but instead, she was heading towards the ropes, probably wanting to make sure Becky would not be able to kick out when she finally pinned her.  As Kayla got up on the ropes in the far corner, Becky popped up and went after her, probably with the intent to try and suplex Kayla off the ropes.  That was when the unthinkable happened._

_Time seemed to slow down to an almost excruciating rate as I watched Kayla’s foot slip from the rope.  She had clearly lost her balance when Becky started to climb the ropes with her, and she started to teeter backwards out of the ring.  I stood up with Mel, trying to will the inevitable fall not to happen._

_I saw Becky break character and make a desperate grab to catch Kayla, but to no avail, as she wasn’t able to get a firm grasp.  Time seemed to speed up again as I saw Kayla tumble backwards, hitting her head on the metal stairs outside of the ring._

_I felt my heart drop when I noticed that Kayla’s head bounced off the stairs.  I wanted to scream and go tearing out there, but I had to stay calm long enough to find someone to take Mel from me.  I didn’t want her out there in front of all those people, witnessing such an intense situation, even if she wouldn’t be able to process what was happening._

_As I continued to stare at the screen, my worst fears were realized.  Kayla was laying there, motionless as the ref signaled for the emergency personnel to come to the ring by making an “X” with his arms.  I saw the WWE doctors and trainers begin to swarm around her, as security began having the crowd file out of the arena since this was the last match of the night.  I was completely paralyzed with fear._

_Suddenly, the locker room door burst open to reveal Bryan Danielson, who immediately attempted to take Mel from me, as he was urging me to go be with Kayla.  For some reason, his words just bounced around in my head like and echo, but I couldn’t make my body comply, despite my intent to hand Mel over and run out to the ring.  It was like I couldn’t move.  Instead, I just clutched Mel even closer to my chest._

“Jon, come on.  Kayla needs you!” Bryan urgently instructed.

_Despite his frantic directions, I still couldn’t seem to make my limbs move or comply in any way._

“Hey, Ambrose, snap out of it,” Bryan scolded, using my ring name.

_I’m not sure how or why that worked, but all of a sudden, I came crashing back to reality. I muttered a quick word of thanks to Bryan as I was galvanized into action.  I gently handed a sleeping Mel over to him and then tore out of the locker room, arms and legs pumping to get to the ringside as quickly as possible._

_When I got there, the WWE emergency personnel were loading Kayla onto a stretcher, with her head and neck stabilized.  I was relieved to see she was breathing, but she was obviously still unconscious._

“Can I touch her?” I asked in a desperate voice that I almost didn’t recognize as my own.

“Sure Jon.  Just avoid the head and neck area.”

_I immediately grabbed one of Kayla’s hands and clutched it tightly in my own._

“You’re going to be okay sweetheart.  Just hang in there,” I croaked, as I saw Shane approaching me tentatively.

“Jon, we are sending her to the hospital.  An ambulance is on the way,” he informed me.

“I am going with her,” I responded.

“Of course.  What can we do for you here?  I know you have Amelia with you.”

“Please, just be sure that Bryan is okay with her.  Then maybe one of you could bring her to the hospital later.  You can take my car, it has her car seat in it.  I have no earthly idea where my car keys are right now, but they must be in my locker room somewhere – the diaper bag too.  There is formula if she wakes up and needs a bottle and there are diapers…” 

“Jon,” Shane interrupted, “don’t worry about Amelia.  We’ll take good care of her.  And as soon as we finish up here, we’ll meet you at the hospital.”

“Thanks man.”

_While we wrapped up our conversation, I heard the ambulance siren in the background.  A minute later, I saw the EMT’s rushing to our side.  Our WWE medics quickly explained what had happened as Kayla was loaded into the ambulance.  One of the EMT’s went to stop me as I began to hop in beside her.  I hastened to explain that I was her husband and he let me in before we quickly left the arena._

_As we rode to the hospital, I felt so helpless.  All I could do was hold Kayla’s hand and pray that she would be okay.  I wasn’t particularly religious, but I thought it certainly couldn’t hurt.  I just wished she would open her eyes.  The longer she went without regaining consciousness, the more freaked out I felt.  The EMT’s said her vital signs were good, so I guess that was something to be grateful for.  I just hope they know what to do for her when we get to the hospital._

_As soon as we arrived, I watched the EMT’s unload Kayla from the ambulance and hopped out after them.  One of them directed me to wait in the Emergency Room waiting area while they ushered Kayla into a cubicle.  Every instinct I had was telling me to go with her, but I knew that wasn’t allowed and that they needed room to work._

_Moments later, a nurse approached me with some paperwork to fill out and I was able to complete it rather quickly and handed it back to her.  I was a little surprised my brain was still functioning well enough to answer the questions.  That task completed, I had nothing left to do but wait, so I slumped down into one of the chairs in the corner of the waiting room._

_As I glanced around the room, I noticed a lot of people in various states of distress.  I sighed as I ran my hands through my hair, messing it up even more than it already was.  I had a million thoughts swirling through my head.  Best case scenario, Kayla had a mild concussion and would wake up soon and recover just fine in a few weeks.  Worst case, I didn’t even want to think about it._

_I was certainly no expert, but I did have some experience with head injuries.  I hadn’t really had any major concussions myself, but a lot of my co-workers had dealt with it.  My friend Bryan had had a particularly rough time with them.  In fact, he had been forced to retire from wrestling altogether.  What if that happened to Kayla, I thought in a bit of a panic._

_Okay, I needed to stop that line of thinking.  Luckily a nurse came over to let me know they were taking Kayla for a CAT scan and that they would let me know when I could see her.  I thanked her and tried to instruct myself to stay calm until we knew more.  As time ticked by, I began to notice my knee bouncing up and down and my fingers tapping incessantly on my shoulder.  Too much nervous energy I guess._

_Just as I felt like I was about to burst out of my skin, I saw several of my friends making their way into the ER waiting room.  Nattie, Nikki, and Bryan were all heading over to where I was sitting.  I could see that Nikki had Mel in her arms.  As soon as they got close, I stood up and reached for my daughter, who looked to be only half awake at the moment._

“Hey there sweetpea.  Did you bring Daddy some friends?”

“She just woke up when we took her out of her car seat,” Nikki explained.

“Hey guys.  Thanks for coming, and for brining Mel.”

“Have you heard anything?  Has Kayla woken up yet?” Bryan asked.

“No, she hasn’t woken up yet, and the only things I know are that her vitals are stable and that they took her for a CAT scan.”

“Well, at least her vitals look good,” Nattie commented.

“Yeah, but I just can’t help but worry about how long she has been out,” I responded.

“Of course, but at least it doesn’t appear life threatening.  I guess I am just happy to hear that,” Nattie replied.

“I know, it is just hard to sit here waiting, not knowing what is happening.  I was getting pretty antsy sitting here by myself before you guys arrived.  I appreciate you being here and having someone to talk to.  And having Mel always makes me feel better.  Isn’t that right sweetpea?”

_Mel reached up and grasped my nose with her fingers as she looked up at me.  I couldn’t help but smile.  It was like she was trying to comfort me.  I know she is only 5 months old and it is more than likely just her grasping reflex, but hey, there was no harm in believing she did it on purpose.  Besides, I feel like I read in one of those baby books Kayla bought that babies start to reciprocate affection around 4 months.  As I continued to talk to my daughter, I looked back up at my friends and noticed they were all trying to hold back a laugh._

“What?” I asked.

“Sorry,” Nikki offered.  “It’s just that, well, when we all first met you four years ago, you never talked to anyone, like ever.”

“Well, except for Joe and Colby,” Bryan added.

“Yeah, and now, not only are you friends with all of us, but you are actually happy to have us around to talk to,” Nattie explained.

“And more than that, I don’t think any of us saw Dean Ambrose as a doting husband and father.  Most of us only knew you through your on-screen personality, and Dean isn’t exactly warm and fuzzy.  No offense,” Nikki finished.

“None taken.  I know what you mean.  I mostly kept to myself before Kayla came into my life.  I pretty much shut almost everyone out.  She really changed my life.”

_As I said that, I started to get choked up again._

“Guys, what if she’s not okay?  What will I do?”

“You can’t think like that Jon.  You have to try to stay positive.  But no matter what happens, you have so many people who are here for you,” Bryan said.  “That reminds me, your phone was next to your car keys.  Here, it looks like you have a bunch of messages.”

“Oh man, I hadn’t even thought about calling anyone. I am sure her family is going crazy.”

“Do you want us to make some calls for you?” Bryan asked.

“Nah, man.  I will call them myself – at least her family.  We’ll see who else I have messages from.  I am going to take Mel and step into the hall for a minute.  Promise to come get me if they bring Kayla back from her CAT scan.”

“Of course we will,” Nikki reassured.

“Thanks guys.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave comments or Kudos. They are much appreciated.


	3. Chapter 3

** Chapter 3 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_I walked into a nearby hallway and started scrolling through my messages.  It looked like I had 7 voicemails and a bunch more texts. The texts were all from co-workers saying they hoped Kayla was okay, and to keep them posted on how she was doing.  I would get back to them later.  Now for the messages._

MESSAGE 1:  “Hey Jon, it’s Joe.  Galina and I saw what happened and just wanted to see how Kayla is doing.  Galina is freaking out a little.  Call us when you can.  Hang in there bro.”

_That was Joe, one of my best friends, and now my brother-in-law.  Not surprising he was the first to call._

MESSAGE 2:  “Oh my God Jon, I saw Smackdown and am just checking in to see if Kayla’s okay.  Call me back dude!”

_He didn’t leave his name, but that was obviously Colby.  I would recognize his voice and his unique way of communicating anywhere._

MESSSAGE 3: “Hi Jon, it’s Ally.  How are you doing?  How is Kayla?  I hope she is okay and that you’re doing okay.  I know things are probably crazy for you right now, but call me any time.  I am sending Kayla healing thoughts.  Take care.”

_Leave it to my sister to be worried about not only Kayla, but me too.  She has always been there for me._

MESSAGE 4:  “Jon, it’s Shane.  I wanted to let you know that I have Amelia’s diaper bag.  Bryan texted me saying they forgot it. I should be at the hospital in about half an hour.  Hope Kayla’s doing better.  See you soon.”

_I truthfully hadn’t noticed the diaper bag was missing.  But I guess I could be forgiven, I had a lot on my mind.  But the boss was on his way with it, so on to the next message._

MESSAGE 5:  “Hey Jon.  It’s Randy.  I didn’t want to add myself to the mix at the hospital, but please let me know how Kayla is doing when you have a minute.  Thanks man.”

_You would think I’d be jealous that Kayla and her ex were still close, but all I could feel was appreciation for how many people really cared about my wife._

MESSAGE 6:  “It’s Joe again.  Galina wanted you to know that she doesn’t think Mom and Dad have any idea what happened.  They must have DVRed the end of Smackdown and gone to bed.  I am sure we would have heard from them by now if they had been watching.  Just wanted to give you the heads up before you call them.  Talk to you soon.”

_God, her parents.  I was really not looking forward to making that phone call, I thought as I advanced to the final message._

MESSAGE 7:  “Jon, you haven’t called me back yet.  What’s going on?  You know patience is not my strong suit!”

_That was Colby again.  He hadn’t left any more messages, but I could see several more missed calls from him.  I guess I had better start returning some of these.  Okay, so let’s see who I need to talk to – Joe, Colby, Ally, Randy, and Shane.  And obviously Kayla’s parents.  I don’t think Shane actually needs a call back, so that leaves five people to call.  I think for now, I’ll send Randy a text and let him know that I will call him when I know more.  Okay, down to four._

_As I sent off the text to Randy, I noticed that Mel was looking at the glowing lights of my phone.  I also noticed I was rocking slightly back and forth as we stood there.  I feel like I have spent a lot of time either rocking or swaying since Mel was born.  It is now pretty standard operating procedure for me.  In fact, I often find myself doing it, even when I’m not holding her.  Not like being in motion is too much of a change for me.  My body is rarely, if ever, still.  The difference is that now my motions are smoother and more fluid.  It is clearly soothing to Mel, but I think to me too._

“Okay Mel, now for the first phone call.  Time to call your Uncle Joe and Aunt Galina.”

_Mel looked up at me as I spoke to her.  She was making soft gurgling sounds and even blew a small bubble._

“Don’t worry, I’ll tell them you say hello,” I said as I called Joe’s number.  He answered almost immediately.

“Jon, how is she?  Wait, let me put you on speaker phone,” Joe said in lieu of a greeting.

“Hey guys.  Sorry I didn’t get back to you sooner.  I left my phone at the arena.  Anyway, the EMT’s said Kayla’s vitals looked good, but she still hasn’t regained consciousness.  They just took her for a CAT scan a little while ago.  Unfortunately, that is all I know for the moment.”

“Do you think we are looking at a concussion?” Galina asked.

“They haven’t said anything specific yet, but that would obviously be my guess,” I answered.

“How are you doing man?  Where is Amelia?” Joe asked.

“I’m okay.  Just anxious to hear something and for Kayla to wake up.  I’m trying not to let my thoughts run wild.  And Mel’s right here.  She says hi to her aunt and uncle.”

“Give her a kiss from her Aunt Galina and hang in there Jon.”

“And keep us posted when you get more information,” Joe added.

“I will.  Hey Gal, do you think I should call your parents now or wait until I know something?” I asked, not sure of the best way to proceed.

_She was silent for a moment before she responded, obviously thinking it over._

“I think you should call them now.  I don’t want them to find out from someone else in the meantime.  There is always the possibility that someone will call them to check up on her, especially if the press starts sniffing around.”

“Yeah, I guess you are right.  I will call them as soon as I hang up with you.  Then I’ll get to Ally and Colby.”

“I could call Colby if you want me to,” Joe offered.

“You can do that, but I will still call him myself.  You know how he gets when he works himself into a tizzy.  He’ll just keep calling me until he gets me anyway.”

_I heard Joe chuckle a little bit at that._

“So true brother.  Alright, we’ll let you go.  Call us when you know something,” Joe replied.

“I will.  Talk to you soon.  Hopefully with good news.”

“Bye Jon.  We love you guys,” Galina added.

“We love you too.  Bye.”

_Okay, now for the tough one.  Calling Kayla’s parents, who, from the sound of it, had no idea anything had happened and were probably sound asleep._

“Wish me luck with this conversation sweetpea,” I said as I dialed my in-laws. 

_The phone rang four times before someone picked it up._

“Jon?  What’s going on?  Why are you calling so late?  Is everything okay?” my mother-in-law asked in a tired and confused voice.

“Hi Mom.  Can you put you and Dad on speaker phone so I can talk to you both at once?” I asked.

“Of course, but Jon, you’re scaring me.  What’s happening?”

“Can you both hear me?”

“Yes Jon.  We can hear you.  Go ahead son,” my father-in-law’s reassuring voice came through the phone.

“Okay, well, there was an accident in the ring during Kayla’s match,” I began.

_I heard my mother-in-law’s quick intake of breath when I said that, so I decided to plow forward with the rest._

“Anyway, Kayla took a nasty fall off the ropes and landed outside the ring.  She hit her head pretty hard on the metal steps on the way down.”

“Oh my God, Jon, is she okay?  I can’t believe we missed all of this Derek,” Anna commented.

“She was rushed to the emergency room, which is where we are now.  The good news is that her vitals are strong.”

“What’s the bad news son, go ahead and tell us,” Derek encouraged.

“Well, um, she hasn’t woken up since she hit her head, so it looks like a concussion.  I haven’t been told anything for sure yet though.  All I know is that they took her for a CAT scan and we are waiting to hear the results of that,” I explained.

“Don’t worry Jon.  Our baby has a very hard head.  She’s going to be okay,” Derek said in a calm and confident voice.

“I’m sure you’re right.  I’m sorry I don’t know more and that I had to wake you up with bad news, but Galina and I agreed you would want to know sooner rather than later.”

“So you talked with Gal?  Is she with Joe?” Anna inquired.

“Yeah, they are together and I just finished speaking with them.”

“I’m glad she is with Joe.  I’m sure she is worried about her sister,” Anna responded.

“Yeah.  Me too.  Hopefully we will hear something soon.”

“Thanks Jon.  We are very glad you called.  Do you have someone there with you son?” Derek asked.

“Yeah, some of our friends from work are here.”

“Good.  I am glad you are not alone.  Now take care of yourself, and our granddaughter,” said Derek.

“I will Dad.  Thanks.”

“Bye Jon,” they said in unison just before I hung up.

_Okay, so that wasn’t fun, but it went better than I thought it would.  My in-laws were such incredible people.  Okay, moving on to Colby.  I prepared for an earful as I heard the phone begin to ring on his end._

“Jon, thank God.  I have been trying to call you for like an hour.  How is Kayla?  How are you?  Where are you?  Who has Mel?  What’s going on?” Colby asked without even stopping to take a breath.

_Yep, that was Colby._

“Hey Colby.  Sorry, I didn’t grab my phone before I left the arena.  I just got it back like fifteen minutes ago.  Anyway, to answer your litany of questions, I am in the ER.  Well, I am in a quiet hallway next to the ER right now.  But anyway, Mel is with me and we are waiting to hear how Kayla is doing.  All I know so far is that her vitals are stable, but she hasn’t woken up yet.  They took her for a CAT scan a while ago.  It’s so scary dude.  She’s just not waking up.”

_With those words, I choked up once again and cuddled Mel more closely to my chest.  I had tried to be reassuring and strong with Kayla’s family, but I didn’t have to be that way with Colby.  Despite the panicked pleas in his messages, he could also be solid as a rock when somebody needed him and the truth was, I was scared to death._

“Jon, you know it can take a while to wake up from a concussion, especially from one that is pretty serious, which it sounds like this could be.  If something was really wrong or life threatening, I would think her vitals wouldn’t be so strong.  So let’s not jump to any conclusions okay?”

_And just like that, he went from the revved up panicked Colby to the calm, supportive Colby.  There was nobody quite like him, and I had to admit, I felt a little bit better._

“I know man, and I am trying not to let my thoughts run away with extreme scenarios.  I just love her so much and can’t help but be scared,” I admitted.

“Of course you are Jon.  It wouldn’t make sense if you weren’t worried, but we can’t draw any conclusions at this point and panicking won’t help,” he replied.

_I couldn’t help but chuckle at that._

“Seriously Colby!  You’re telling me not to panic?  Did you hear yourself in your messages?  If anyone was panicking my friend, it was you.”

“Shut up Jon.  You know how I get when I am out of the loop.  I’m over it now and I am certain that Kayla will be okay.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“I’m always right.  Now Jon, you are going to go back in that waiting room thinking positive thoughts and then see what the doctors have to say about Kayla.  Remember, she is one of the strongest and most stubborn people I know.  She won’t stand for being knocked out for too long.”

“Thanks Colby.  I appreciate it.”

“Any time man.  Call me whenever you need to and let me know when you hear something.”

“Sure thing Colbs.  See ya.”

“Bye bro.”

_Okay, I actually felt quite a bit better.  Not many people really got Colby and all the quirky parts of his personality, but he was an amazing best friend.  And now to check in with my family.   I scrolled through my contacts until I found Allison’s number and made the call.  She answered on the second ring._

“Jon, how are you doing?  Is there any news yet?”

_I went through the same spiel one more time for Ally, explaining what I knew about Kayla’s condition so far._

“What about you Jon?  How are you holding up?  You’ve got to be having a bunch of thoughts and emotions swirling through that head of yours.  Talk to me.”

“Yeah, I have definitely run the gamut of different thoughts and emotions, but I just got off the phone with Colby and he helped me get my head on straight.”

“He’s a good friend.  I’m glad you talked to him.  I know how much you hate opening up when you’re upset.”

“Hey, I’m working on it.  I am way more social than I used to be,” I argued.

“True, but still not so much when you are angry or upset.  You still like to retreat into your own head like you used to when mom would…”

“Yeah, let’s not go there right now okay?  I hear you, and I will try to let other people in.  In fact, I have a roomful of people waiting for me right now in the waiting room.  I haven’t tried to shut them out yet.”

“Yeah, but I bet you just talked to them on a surface level – giving them the basics.”

“Actually, I did share some of my concerns with them – shows what you know,” I teased.

“Well good.  I am happy to be wrong about that.  You have come a long way little brother.  I think we have Kayla to thank for that.”

“Most likely, but you never gave up on me either.  In fact, you probably did most of the heavy lifting, forcing me to talk to you when we were kids, even if I was a little resistant shall we say.”

“A little resistant.  Do we actually have the same memories of our childhood?  I don’t think a little resistant covers it Jon.”

“Alright, fine.  I was a pain in the ass, okay?  Geeze, you would think I could get a little sympathy here.”

“I know Jon.  I just thought you needed a little distraction – and it worked perfectly.”

“You are a sneaky one.  Guess I know where I get it from,” I returned.

“Yep, you learned from the best.  Seriously though, I know you will get through this.  You can call me anytime you need to talk.  You know that.”

“I do.  But I think for now, I should probably get going.  Mel is starting to fuss a little.  She’s probably hungry.”

“I thought I heard her in the background.  Give her a hug from her Aunt Ally and take care of yourself.”

“I will.  Thanks Ally.”

“Anytime Jon.  See ya.”


	4. Chapter 4

** Chapter 4 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_With my phone calls completed, I started bouncing Mel a little in my arms as we made our way back to the waiting room.  I immediately noticed that Shane had joined my small group of friends and that, thankfully, he had the diaper bag with him.  Just in time too.  I could tell that Mel was wanting a bottle and although she was a pretty content and happy baby most of the time, she could sure let you know when she wanted to eat.  She definitely had a set of lungs on her, and a bit of her Mommy’s determination when she wanted something._

“Hey guys.  No news yet, I assume?” I asked.

“Sorry Jon, nothing yet,” Nikki replied.

“Hi Shane.  Thanks for coming and for bringing the diaper bag.  I think you got here just in time.  Mel is doing her I’m about to let everyone in the building know how hungry I am pre-bottle ritual.”

“Do you have any bottles ready?” Nattie asked.

“Yeah, we always keep a couple ready with some dry formula in them.  We just need to add water and heat it up.  I am sure we can find someplace to do that around here.”

“Here, let me take one of the bottles and I’ll find a way to prepare it,” Nattie offered.

“Thanks Nat.  That would be great.  I will try to keep Mel occupied in the meantime.  Can you grab one of her rattles while you’re getting the bottle?” I asked.

“Sure.  Let me see.  Here you go, and I found a bottle.  I’ll be back as soon as I can.”

“Sounds good.  Now you young lady, you just have to hang in there until Nattie gets back with that bottle,” I said as I continued to bounce her gently for a few minutes, while I waved the rattle in front of her. 

_She seemed content enough for the moment as she gazed at the rattle and eventually reached for it, grasping the handle._

“Whatcha got there sweetpea?” I asked.  “Let me guess, that’s going right in your mouth.  Yep, called it,” I said chuckling.

_When I looked up, I noticed everyone else was looking at us and smirking.  All of a sudden I felt a little embarrassed to have an audience while I was talking to my daughter.  I think Nikki noticed my discomfort and must have taken pity on me because she cleared her throat and got the group’s attention on her before speaking._

“So, anyone want anything to eat or drink?  I know I haven’t eaten in over 7 hours,” she said.

“Actually, I could go for a little something,” Bryan replied.  “I think I saw a McDonald’s just about a block away – probably open all night.  Should we make a quick run?”

“A quick run where?” Nattie asked as she returned with a prepared bottle for Mel and handed it to me. 

_I immediately tested it and then re-positioned Mel so I could start feeding her.  She started drinking it immediately and was sucking it down like it was her last meal._

“A run for some food,” Nikki replied.

“Actually, that sounds good,” Nattie agreed.  “How about we give Jon some time to feed Amelia while we go grab a bite to eat?”

“Sounds good to me,” Bryan responded.  “Shane, you coming?”

“No, thanks guys.  I grabbed some food on my way here.  I’ll wait with Jon.”

“Sounds like a plan.  Do you want anything Jon?”  Bryan asked.

“I’m not very hungry.  Maybe just some fries in case I feel like snacking on something later.  I guess a water too.”

“Alright.  We’ll be back soon,” Nikki added as they left the hospital.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please feel free to comment or leave Kudos. They are greatly appreciated.


	5. Chapter 5

** Chapter 5 **

**_Shane’s POV_ ** ****

_Jon and I sat there in a comfortable silence for a few minutes while he fed Amelia her bottle.  Dean Ambrose fans would be so shocked to see their resident, anti-hero, bad boy gently cradling his daughter and making silly faces at her as she drank.  Not that I was surprised Jon was a good dad.  Jon Good the man was quite different from Dean Ambrose, the WWE character.  Sure there were some similarities in their personas, but Jon had a softer side that Dean’s fans never really got to see.  Of course he didn’t really show it that often in public.  He was a pretty private guy._

_I guess he kept to himself a lot before he and Kayla got together.  But that wasn’t the Jon I had come to know.  I had only gotten to know him during the past year in my role as commissioner on Smackdown, but we had quickly established an easy rapport.  I wouldn’t call us friends, but I’d like to think we respected each other._

_As Amelia finished her bottle, Jon shifted her onto his shoulder and gently patted her back until she burped.  Then he stood up and began rocking back and forth with her, as he rubbed her back.  I figured now was a good time to have a conversation, so I slowly stood up next to him._

“So Jon, I wanted to talk to you about something.”

“Sure.  What’s up?” he replied.

“Well, it’s about Becky.  She came to me in tears, asking me to be sure to apologize about what happened with Kayla in the ring.”

“I appreciate that she cares, but it wasn’t her fault.  I know it was just an accident, and I’m sure Kayla wouldn’t blame her either.”

“I figured you would feel that way, and that is what I told her.  But I promised her that I would pass along the message.”

“Thanks for letting me know.  If you talk to her before I do, please let her know that I don’t blame her.  If anything, I saw her break character for a second and try to grab Kayla before she fell.  She isn’t in trouble for that is she?” he asked, looking concerned for his friend.

“Of course not.  We don’t want anyone getting hurt. I wish she had been able to grab her.  Maybe we wouldn’t be here now,” I lamented.

“I wish she had too, but we can’t change that now.  I just want to hear something about how she is doing.”

“Yeah, me too,” I agreed.

_Just then, I saw Jon’s friends returning from their food run.  They saw us standing and came over to join us._

“Any news?” Nikki asked.

“Not yet,” Jon responded.  But it looks like they are wheeling Kayla back out from getting the CAT scan.  Shit, she still looks unconscious.  Hopefully someone will tell us something soon.  I don’t think I can handle waiting around much longer.”


	6. Chapter 6

** Chapter 6 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_I was getting so anxious to hear something as I sat there munching on some fries.  I wasn’t really hungry, but at least it gave me something to do.  Mel had gone back to sleep after finishing her bottle and was snuggled up resting on my shoulder.  Everyone else was busy eating or making small talk as we waited for news.  At long last, a nurse approached us._

“Mr. Good?” she inquired.

“Yes, that’s me,” I answered, setting the fries aside and standing up to talk with her.

“The doctor is looking at the results of the CAT scan and will be out to talk to you soon.  In the meantime, you can go back and sit with your wife.  She hasn’t woken up yet, but I am sure it will make her feel better to have you there.”

“Absolutely.  I would love to sit with her.  Nikki, can you take Mel for me?” I asked, feeling terrified that she hadn’t woken up yet, but thankful I could at least go be with her.

“Of course.  Go see Kayla.  I will take good care of Amelia for you,” she said as I shifted Mel into her arms.

“Thanks guys.  See you in a bit,” I mumbled as I followed the nurse back to the cubicle where they were treating Kayla.

“Feel free to pull up a chair and sit with her.  It is good for her to hear your voice,” the nurse encouraged.

_I gave her a nod of thanks and pulled a chair right up next to her bed.  Kayla looked so peaceful, like she was just having a nice nap.  Hard to believe she had just suffered such a brutal injury.  Okay, that’s enough of that.  Come on Jon, only positive thoughts.  You have to be strong for Kayla.  After I gave myself that little pep-talk, I grabbed Kayla’s hand in mine and just started talking._

“Hey sweetheart, it’s Jon.  The nurse says you did just fine with the CAT scan and that the doctor should be here soon to tell us what’s going on in that head of yours.  He doesn’t know what I know though.  You are too tough, not to mention too stubborn, to let a little knock to the head slow you down.  I know you are going to come through this just fine.”

“So you are probably wondering where Mel is.  Don’t worry, she is in good hands.  She is just in the other room with Nikki, Nattie, and Bryan.  Even Shane is here to check on you.  You have so many people who care about you.  Speaking of people who care about you, I talked to your family too to let them know what is going on.  They all send their love of course.  Now we are all just waiting to hear what the doctor has to say and for you to wake up.  Please wake up baby.”

_I whispered that last part, just was a doctor ducked inside the curtain._

“Are you Mr. Good?”

“Yeah, I’m Jon.”

“Hi Jon.  I’m Dr. Fielding.  I have been looking at the results of your wife’s CAT scan.”

“So, what’s it look like?” I asked, not certain I was ready for the answer.

“Well, she has a pretty severe concussion and some slight swelling on her brain near the site of the impact.  At this point, the swelling is not to a dangerous degree, but it does appear to be enough to have put her into a coma.”

_It was a good thing I was already sitting down, because I felt like I had just been sucker punched when I heard the word coma.  It took everything I had to stay focused on what the doctor said next and not break down into a sobbing mess._

“So, right now, your wife is measuring a 7 on the Glasgow Coma Scale.”

“Is that good or bad?” I asked, feeling overwhelmed and completely out of my element.

“That places her at the higher end of a severe coma rating.  Higher numbers are better for this type of scale and we need to get her up to a 15 to be completely out of the coma.  Now that could happen naturally over time, but we are going to take some steps to help make sure that the swelling doesn’t get any worse.”

“What kind of steps?”

“We will be giving her some medication, called Mannitol, to help decrease the swelling and pressure.  We will also keep her head elevated at an optimal angle.  It’s our hope that those two things will not only stop the swelling, but reverse it altogether.  We’ll monitor her closely during the night for any signs of duress, but if she seems to be responding well, then we will reassess her in the morning by giving her another CAT scan.”

“And what happens if the swelling gets worse?”

“If she doesn’t respond to the treatments like we hope she will, we may have to consider surgery.”

“Wow.  Okay, what if the swelling recedes?  When do you think she will wake up?” I asked as I tried to wrap my brain around what Dr. Fielding was telling me.

“That is hard to say for sure, and it will obviously depend on what happens overnight, but if the swelling doesn’t get worse, I would say I expect her to wake up any time between tomorrow and a week from now.”

“That’s a pretty big range.”

“Unfortunately, I can’t be more precise.  Every person’s body is different.  It could be she wakes up an hour from now, or beyond one week window.  The most extreme scenario is not waking up at all, but based on everything I see at this point, I would go with a one week window.  I’m sorry, but it is just not easy to predict, especially when we don’t know for sure if the swelling will get better or worse overnight.”

“I understand.  I appreciate you letting me know what to expect.  So where do we go from here?”

“We are working to get your wife a room in our Intensive Care Unit.  We want to keep her there to monitor her closely, at least until we know more about how the swelling is impacting her and until she wakes up.”

“Whatever you need to do to help her is good with me.  Will I be able to stay with her?”

“You can sit with her until she is moved to the ICU, and then I recommend giving them a little time to get her completely settled in her room.  You can have a nurse show you where the waiting room is for the ICU.  They have visiting hours, but we tend to be more flexible when a patient has just been admitted, especially our coma patients.  We firmly believe they need to keep hearing the voices of their loved ones,” he said giving me a sympathetic look.

“That won’t be a problem.  I will stay with her as long as it takes.  And she has a slew of family and friends who I am sure will want to take turns seeing her too.”

“If you don’t have any other questions, I have some other patients I need to see.”

“Doc, I have about a million questions, but nothing specific you can help me with right now.  Thanks for all of your help and for taking good care of Kayla.”

“Of course.  And if you need to ask any of those million questions, don’t hesitate to ask one of the nurses on duty in the ICU.”

“Thank you Dr. Fielding.  I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.  Take care.”

_As Dr. Fielding left, I felt myself starting to panic a bit at the possibilities.  The word coma is always scary to hear and I don’t even want to think about brain surgery.  All I could think was that I couldn’t lose Kayla.  She was one half of my world._

_Okay Jon, stop being dramatic.  Flipping out won’t help anything.  Kayla needs to feel you sending positive vibes.  And you have to go give everyone updates.  You can’t sound scared shitless when you do that, or you will freak them all out too.  So, let’s take some deep breaths, talk to Kayla for a minute, and then go give everyone the news._

“So sweetheart, sounds like you have some swelling on your brain and are going to get some much needed rest for a bit.  Just don’t stay asleep too long, wouldn’t want people thinking you are lazy,” I gently teased. 

_If there is one thing that Kayla can’t stand it’s people thinking she doesn’t work hard enough.  Maybe that will make her even more determined to wake up._

“Anyway, don’t worry about Mel and me.  We’re doing just fine.  Just put all of your energy into taking care of you for once.  I know that goes against your nature, but if ever there were a time to focus only on yourself, this would be it.  Of course there are a lot of other people who are focused on you too and they all send you their love, healing energy, and support.  In fact, some of those people are here now and would love to see you.  They are waiting just down the hall.  Bryan, Nikki, Nattie, and Shane are all waiting to see how you are doing.  I think I will let them visit for a bit.  They can only come back one at a time.  Anyone you want to see first?...You’re right, I should just leave it up to them.  I love you Kayla.  I’ll be back soon,” I said as I gave her a quick kiss on the forehead and left the cubicle.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and to those of you who have given me Kudos so far. Please feel free to leave comments. They are greatly appreciated.


	7. Chapter 7

** Chapter 7 **

**_Nikki’s POV_ **

****

_Nattie, Bryan, Shane, and I had all been chatting while Jon spoke with the doctors, but our conversation came to an abrupt halt when we saw Jon heading back in our direction.  It was hard to read the expression on his face, but I would expect, if the news was positive, that he would be looking a little more upbeat.  I took a quick, calming breath before I heard what Jon had to say._

“So what’s the verdict?” Bryan asked nervously.

“Well, she has a pretty severe concussion, obviously, and they are keeping an eye on some swelling they saw on her brain where her head hit the stairs.  They are giving her some medication to help stop and reduce the swelling and they’re going to give her a second CAT can in the morning to see if there is any change in the severity of the swelling.  Otherwise, it appears that, for now at least, she is in a coma,” Jon said, almost choking on the last word.

“Oh my God!  How long do they think it will last?” I asked, my head spinning from what Jon had told us and feeling afraid for my friend.

“The doctor said that there is really no way to tell.  It will obviously be a good sign if the swelling stops or lessons by morning, but they can’t really predict when she will wake up,” Jon finished, sounding overwhelmed.

“But she is expected to wake up, right?” Bryan asked, voicing the concern that the rest of us were thinking.

“The doctor said he has no reason to believe that she will remain in the coma indefinitely.  But he can’t predict anything with 100% certainty.  He said it is likely that she will wake up some time in the next week if the swelling starts to respond to the treatment and goes down.”

“And if it doesn’t, or God forbid, gets worse?” I wanted to know.

“The doctor said then they may have to consider surgery, but let’s just cross that bridge when we come to it,” Jon responded, giving me a look that I am pretty sure was meant to be reassuring.

_I decided to let it go for now.  It was obvious that Jon was using all of his emotional energy to keep his fears under wraps._

“Can we see her?”  I asked.

“Sure.  Just one at a time for now though, until they move her to a room in the ICU,” he answered.  “If you guys want to take turns sitting with her, I will make some more phone calls to update everyone.  I am sure they are all anxious to hear back from me.  I can take Mel back and hold her while I make my calls.  I think some time with our little girl is just what I need right about now,” Jon finished, taking Mel back from me and heading towards the hallway as he held Amelia to his chest with one arm and dug his phone out of his pocket with the other.

“Man, this has got to be eating him alive,” I said once he was out of earshot.

“Yeah, but he’s strong and he has a lot of support.  Besides, Kayla is going to be just fine.  Just give it time,” Bryan reassured.

“So who wants to go in first?” Shane asked, speaking up for the first time.

“I would like to go first, if that’s okay with everyone else,” Nattie requested.

_It wasn’t surprising, since she had known Kayla the longest._

“Of course, that’s fine.  Take your time,” I said.  “We’ll be ready to take a turn whenever you get back.”

“Thanks Nikki.  See you guys soon.”

“You’re welcome.  Come on Bryan, let’s see if we can scrounge up some coffee.  I could use some.”

“Sure Nikki.  Let’s go.  We’ll be back in a minute Shane.”

“Sounds good guys.  Grab me a soda if you don’t mind.”

“Will do Shane.  Let’s go kid,” Bryan said, taking hold of my arm and gently tugging me out of the room.

_I was happy to have my brother-in-law with me to offer support and reassurance.  Hopefully I could offer him some comfort as well._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Please feel free to leave a comment or Kudos. They are greatly appreciated.


	8. Chapter 8

** Chapter 8 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_Mel continued to sleep soundly on my shoulder as I prepared to make another round of phone calls.  As hard as the last ones were to make, I was even more hesitant this time.  I wish I could be calling them all back with good news.  I decided to start with Kayla’s parents this time.  I pressed their number on my speed dial and heard the phone begin to ring._

“Hello?” Derek’s voice came through the phone.

“Hi Dad, it’s me.  Do you want to put me on speaker for Mom to hear?” I asked.

“Absolutely.  Just a second,” he replied as I heard a faint beep over the line.  “Okay son, we’re listening.  What’s the news?”

“Well, I spoke with the doctor and Kayla has a severe concussion and some swelling on her brain that they are monitoring very closely,” I explained.

“Has she woken up yet?” Anna asked, joining the conversation.

_Here comes the hard part.  Come on Jon, just say it._

“No, she hasn’t and actually…actually, the doctor says she is in a coma.”

_I could hear Derek consoling Anna after I shared that bit of information.  I gave them a minute to take it all in.  Lord knows I was still trying to wrap my mind around it.  I just waited quietly and gave Mel a little squeeze until I heard Derek speak up again._

“So what’s the prognosis Jon?  What did the doctor say we can expect?”

“Well, just that they will know a bit more in the morning when they do another CAT scan, but until then, he didn’t have much more to add.  He said comas are really unpredictable and that she could wake up a few hours from now, a week from now, or any time in between.  Of course, there is the slim chance she won’t wake up at all, but he doesn’t feel like her case is presenting that way, at least not at this point,” I hastened to explain, just to get it all out in the open.

“Of course she will wake up Jon.  My little girl is tough.  Besides, she has you and Amelia to come back to.  I know she will be fine.  She just needs time to fight her way back to us,” Derek said with certainty.

“I know.  I just hope it is sooner rather than later.  I would give anything to see her eyes open,” I whispered.

“Just don’t lose hope Jon.  Derek’s right.  Our daughter is a fighter,” Anna added.

“So, we will be flying in tomorrow morning.  We have already booked a flight and should be landing around 10:15 in the morning.  Do you think someone could come pick us up?” Derek asked.

“Of course Dad.  We are surrounded by friends.  I am sure someone will be able to come get you and bring you to the hospital.  It will be so good to have you here,” I admitted. 

_They were the closest thing I had to parents these days.  Although I was still close with my sister, I hadn’t had contact with my father in over 20 years and for my mother, it had been over ten years, save for the checks I would send her each month._

“Jon, you know we want to be there for Kayla, but for you and Amelia too.  We love you,” Anna offered.

“I know.  I love you guys too,” I answered.

_Okay, time to end this conversation before my emotions caught up with me again._

“So I’ll see you tomorrow.  Try and get a little bit of rest if you can.” I said.

“You too son,” Derek answered as we ended the conversation.

_After finishing the call, I slumped against the wall.  This had certainly been the scariest, most draining day of my life – and that was saying a lot.  I am not sure how many more of these conversations I can get through.  Of course procrastinating won’t help either, it will only prolong the experience.  I guess I should just keep plowing ahead until they are all done._

_I found a bench to sit on while I balanced Mel in my lap and dialed Joe’s number, running my freehand up and down the back of my neck.  I tend to do that when I am nervous or uncomfortable.  I didn’t have to wait long for Joe to pick up._

“Jon, what’s the latest?” Joe asked as he answered. 

_I began running through everything the doctor had told me.  I realized I must have been on speaker phone when I heard Galina crying softly._

“Alright, well Gal and I are making plans with my parents to come watch Joelle for us.  They should be here by noon and then we will both catch a flight out to you.  We should be there by about 4:30,” Joe explained.

“Will you guys need a ride or anything from the airport?”

“Nah man, we will just rent a car.  We’ll keep in touch and let you know if our plan changes for any reason.”

“Sounds good Joe.  I will see you both tomorrow.  Bye Gal,” I said.

“Bye Jon,” they both said in unison.

_Now who to call next?  Colby, Ally, or maybe Randy.  Probably Colby if I know what’s good for me.  He would most likely be calling me back any minute now anyway.  In fact, I am shocked he hasn’t already.  Patience has never been his strong suit.  I couldn’t help but smirk as I pressed his number on speed dial.  He answered before I even heard it ring._

“Jon, I am glad you called.  How are you doing?  How’s Kayla?”

“I’m doing about as well as can be expected, but Kayla’s in a coma,” I explained.

“Dude, that sucks.  Sorry man.”

“Yeah, it does suck.  Anyway, they are giving her another CAT scan in the morning to check on the swelling in her brain.”

“I am sure it will be okay.  She is going to wake up soon and be the same wonderful, yet entirely intimidating, woman that she is.  Just you wait and see.”

“Thanks Colby.  I can always count on you to bring your own unique perspective to things.”

“It’s a gift really,” Colby said as I heard some type of announcement being made in the background.

  _It sounded like a flight announcement.  All of a sudden, it clicked.  Colby was already at the airport, probably getting ready to board a plane.  No one could question the man’s loyalty – and yes, I am aware of the irony of that statement – but Colby is nothing like Seth._

“You are already at the airport aren’t you?” I questioned.

“Of course I am Jon, where else would I be when I need to catch a flight?” he responded, sounding thoroughly confused about where else he could possibly be at a time like this.

“You’re right, silly question,” I responded.  “So when are you getting in?”

“Around 4:30 in the morning, so about three hours from now.”

“You need somebody to pick you up?” I asked.

“If you think it wouldn’t be a problem, that would be great,” he replied.

“Yeah, I can make that happen.  Don’t worry about it.”

“Thanks Jon.”

“Seriously Colby?  I should be the one thanking you,” I argued.

“What for?” he wondered, clearly not understanding that not everyone would literally drop everything the moment a friend needed them.

“Never mind Colby.  I am just grateful for the person you are and that you are my best friend.”

“Geeze Jon, don’t get all sappy on me.  It doesn’t suit you.  It feels weird.”

“Shut-up dumb-ass,” I threw back.

“Ah, now that’s the Jon I am used to.  Much better.”

“Whatever Colby, just thanks man.”

“You’re welcome Jon.  I’ll see you soon bro.”

_Okay, now on to Ally.  I’ll save Randy for last.  Come on Ally, pick up._

“Hey Jon, what time is it?  I must have dozed off.”

“It’s a little before 2 am,” I answered.  “I just wanted to call with an update.  Sorry to wake you.”

“Don’t be silly Jon.  Tell me what’s happening with Kayla.”

_So I ran through the story again for my sister who listened quietly, making the occasional noise to indicate she was listening._

“I am so sorry you and Kayla are going through this Jon.  I wish I could do something to make it better.”

“You do make it better, just by being here for me,” I reassured.

“Speaking of being there for you, I have a flight booked for tomorrow afternoon.  I should be there around 3:30,” she informed me.

“Ally, you are a teacher, you can’t just leave and miss work.”

“I have personal days Jon that I can use in an emergency, and I have to say that this qualifies.  Besides, I already put in my request for the sub for the next three days, so I am coming.”

“What if they can’t find anyone?  You are always telling me how hard it is to find a good sub in your field.”

“I know Jon, but I had an intern last year who just graduated with her degree in Speech Therapy, and she already told me she can do it.  I am just going to go into school in the morning tomorrow for a few hours to pull some lesson plans together and then I will catch my flight.”

“Are you sure Ally?  I know it’s a lot of work.  You don’t always have to take care of me, ya know.”

“Always take care of you?  Jon, we are family, and family takes care of each other.”

“Exactly.  Don’t get me wrong, I really appreciate it, but I feel like you are always the one who does the taking care and I am always on the receiving end,” I mumbled.

“You’re kidding me right little brother?”  Ally asked incredulously.  “What about the ‘loan forgiveness program’ that I was contacted about for my school loans?  Do you think I don’t know that not only did you pay off all of my loans, but you didn’t want me to know about it?  All I was told was that the debt had been forgiven, but come on Jon, it doesn’t work like that.  I’ve always known it was you.”

“Well, shit.  I thought maybe you wouldn’t find out about that.  Still, that’s just money and I have plenty of it now.  No big deal.”

“Well, it was to me.  And what about those checks that you think I don’t know about that you send to mom?  Despite everything she has done, you still take care of her, even though you haven’t spoken to her in over a decade.”

“Again, it’s just money.  It is nothing special.”

“Fine Jon, you really want me to hit you with the big guns, then fine, I will.  You asked for it.  What about all the times you goaded Mom’s boyfriends into a fight when you knew they were drunk and probably going to hurt either Mom or me?”

“I don’t know where you get that from, I just lost my temper with them.  That’s all.”

“You’re full of shit Jon.  Sure, you have a temper, but you are perfectly capable of controlling it, much to the surprise of the Jon Moxley fans, I’m sure.  You forget, I’ve know you your whole life and I watched every one of those altercations unfold.  One of mom’s boyfriends would start to yell at me or Mom and get all up in our face and then all of a sudden, there you were, launching insults and challenging their manhood.  Every time Jon.  You made sure that if anyone felt their wrath, it was you.  How many times did I sit with you and hold a bag of peas on your face to help get the swelling down when they were done with you?  Don’t tell me you have never been there for me little brother.”

“If I say okay, will you let this go?  You know I hate talking about all that shit.”

“Fine, I will let it go, but I am coming to be with you and that’s final.”

“Yes mam,” I answered a bit sarcastically. 

“Good.  Besides, who says I am coming for your sorry ass.  I have a niece and sister-in-law to care for.  Gosh Jon, self-centered much?”

_I couldn’t help the chuckle that escaped when she said that.  Man, what would I do without her?_

“Okay Ally.  Thank you for coming to be with all of us.  Now I think I can even get you a ride to the hospital with Joe and Galina.  They are getting in at 4:30 if you don’t mind waiting an hour at the airport.  Just text Galina and you two can coordinate a place to meet.”

“That sounds perfect Jon.  Thanks for taking care of me, again.”

“Yeah, yeah.  Let’s just agree to disagree about who helps who more.”

“Fine Jon, you win this time.  I will see you tomorrow."

“Thanks Ally.  I know I grumble a lot, but I am really grateful to have you.”

“I know you are knucklehead.  Now shut up and let me get some sleep.  I’ll see you soon.”

“See you Ally.”

“Bye Jon.”

_That takes care of everyone but Randy.  I should probably return his call now that I know a little bit more.  Let’s see, I just need to find his contact information.  There it is.  Hopefully I am not waking him up.  It was after two o’clock in the morning after all._

“Hello,” I heard Randy answer after the third ring.

“Hey Randy, it’s Jon.”

“Jon, hey.  How’s Kayla?  Any change?”

“Unfortunately no.  She is still unconscious.  But I did speak with the doctor, so I have a little bit more information than I did before.  Kayla has a concussion and some swelling on her brain,” I said, hesitating before continuing.

“There’s more, isn’t there Jon?” Randy asked, sounding concerned.

“Yeah, there is.  Right now, Kayla has slipped into a coma.  The doctor can’t be sure when she will wake up.  They are monitoring her closely and moving her to the ICU." 

“Shit Jon.  I’m sorry man.  Is there anything I can do?  Do you need anything?”

“I don’t know.  Are you headed home for a few days until the house shows this weekend?” I asked.

“I was actually thinking of staying in town.  Maybe come see Kayla, if that’s okay with you.”

“Of course it is.  The doctors and nurses all say that the more familiar voices she hears, the better.  You could also do me another favor if you’re up for it.”

“Name it man,” Randy answered.

“Well, Colby is of course already on his way here.  You know how he is.  Anyway, his plane is landing around 4:30 this morning.  Do you think you could pick him up and bring him to the hospital?  Then you could spend some time with Kayla.”

“Sure thing Jon.  No problem.  Just have him text me his flight information.”

“Thanks Randy.  I appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome.  I’ll see you in a few hours.  Take care.”

“I will, bye.”

_As I hung up with Randy, I felt both relieved and exhausted simultaneously.  Everyone had been great and extremely supportive, but it was still difficult just to keep rehashing all of the details of Kayla’s injuries.  Still, it was amazing how many people Kayla and I had in our lives who loved us._

_What’s even more amazing is that being on the receiving end of all that affection no longer weirded me out, well most of the time it didn’t anyway.  Ally and I hadn’t grown up with a whole lot of affection in our family.  Really, we only had one another to rely on and we would both go to the mat for each other, but no one ever really said ‘I love you’ in our family, at least not that I ever remember.  It’s not that I don’t love Ally, but we just never really learned how to express it.  We offered each other comfort by being there for one another to talk to and were willing to share a hug for comfort when warranted, but that was about it._

_So you can imagine my discomfort when I first met up with Joe and Colby, who were both comfortable throwing their arm around me, or hugging me even.  It completely overwhelmed me at first.  It wasn’t just the physical affection either.  They both seemed to think that because we were a team, that we should always share our feelings and shit.  What they couldn’t seem to understand was that, for me, I was talking to them a lot.  More than I did with anyone else anyway._

_I used to be more the type of person who just kept to myself, with maybe one or two people who I chose to let in.  It was just safer that way.  You couldn’t be disappointed by anyone if you never gave them your trust to begin with.  But Joe and Colby wouldn’t give up on it.  Then Kayla came into the picture and I never had a chance.  I very slowly but surely opened up to the three of them, only to find, much to my surprise, that it actually felt good to let people in.  I had finally understood what Ally had been nagging me about for the last 26 years._

_I am not saying that all of a sudden I started letting everyone in.  I still prefer a smaller circle of people that I am close with, but I started letting some more people get to know me better and actually engaged in conversations with my co-workers.  I discovered that I actually worked with a lot of cool and caring people.  Speaking of that, several of those people were in the waiting room, probably wondering when I would be back._

_I took a few moments to collect myself as I looked down at my daughter.  If I thought Kayla, Joe, and Colby had changed my world, Mel had turned it on its axis.  I never knew I had the capacity to love unconditionally.  I certainly wasn’t on the receiving end of that type of love from my own parents.  Now I loved my wife with all my heart, but that was something that had been nurtured and developed over time.  We were friends for about five months before we were lovers.  In fact, she and Randy were still together when we met.  Although, if I am honest, there had always been a connection between us, right from the first time we met, but she was with Randy, so we remained just friends._

_My daughter, on the other hand, I felt so much love for her from the second I found out Kayla was pregnant.  I didn’t even know if she would turn out to be a boy or a girl at that point, but the love I had for our baby overwhelmed me none-the-less.  When Kayla first brought up starting a family, I was receptive, but a little terrified.  I didn’t know if I had what it took to be a good parent.  But from the moment I found out we were having a baby, those doubts disappeared completely and I have never looked back._

_I shook myself at that point to stop all of the swirling thoughts I seemed to be having.  Man, my head was all over the place.  Not that that is anything strange for me.  As Dean likes to say ‘My head is a very scary place to be.’  Come on Jon, focus.  You need to get back to everyone.  I am sure they are awaiting your return._

“Come on sweetpea,” I whispered.  “Let’s go find Daddy’s friends.”


	9. Chapter 9

** Chapter 9 **

**_Bryan’s POV_ **

****

_I was just about to go look for Jon when I saw him walking back around the corner, with Amelia still fast asleep in his arms.  He looked exhausted.  But there was no time to rest now because a nurse had just come by to tell us that a room should be ready for Kayla in a few minutes.  I’m sure Jon will be happy to hear that at least._

“Hey Jon.  How did your phone calls go?  Did you talk to everyone you wanted to?” I asked.

“Yeah.  They went pretty well actually.  That reminds me, before I forget to ask, could someone pick up my in-laws at the airport?  Their flight is getting in at 10:15 this morning.  I have all of the flight information.  I would go, but until we know more about Kayla, I would rather not leave her,” he explained.

“I would be happy to go get them Jon,” I heard Shane say.  “Just text me the flight information.”

“Thanks Shane.  I really appreciate it.”

“Now that that is settled,” I began, “a nurse just came by and said a room would be ready in ICU soon, so they are preparing to move Kayla.”

“Oh good.  It will be nice to have her more settled.  Maybe you guys can all go and get a little sleep once they move her.”

_At that point, I decided to speak up again.  I wasn’t sure Jon was going to like my next suggestions very much, but I was going to make it anyway._

“About that,” I began nervously.  “I think we should take Amelia with us back to the hotel.  As much as I know you love having her with you, I am sure she would be better off in her own bed.  Don’t you think?”

_I saw a brief flash of defiance behind Jon’s eyes, and for a second, I thought he was going to refuse and say I was out of line.  But then, just as quickly as it appeared, the look vanished and was replaced by an almost sheepish grin._

“Yeah, I guess it would be pretty selfish of me to keep her here, just to have the company.  I know she would be better off at the hotel.  It’s just, she has never spent the night without one, or both, of us with her.  I don’t want her to be afraid,” Jon explained as he looked between all of us, appearing a bit lost and helpless.

“Maybe if Nikki and I stay together with her in your hotel room?”  I suggested.  “She will be around familiar things and she knows the two of us pretty well.”

“I guess that would work, as long as it is okay with Nikki,” Jon responded.

“Of course it is.  I would be happy to.”

“Good then, that’s settled,” I directed.

“Okay, so let me just tell you a few things before you take her.  There is plenty of formula and diapers in the diaper bag to get you through what is left of the night, although she will most likely sleep until morning.  Bryan, you know how to prepare the bottles right?  I know Kayla was teaching you and Brie all about it to help you prepare for your own little one.”

“Yeah, she did.  And we have practiced diaper changing too,” I said with a grin.

“Okay, well she is just starting to eat baby food, but it can be kind of tricky to get her to do it.  Maybe just stick with the bottles and I can feed her the baby food when you bring her back to the hospital.  Let’s see, what else?  So, she might wake up one more time before morning and want to eat.  She usually sleeps through the night now, but not always.  And make sure she sleeps on her back because she’s not rolling over yet.  Oh, and don’t put any stuffed animals or extra blankets in her crib.  I think her pajamas are in one of the hotel dresser drawers.  And make sure to keep the room nice and warm and…”

“Jon,” I interrupted.  “We’ll be fine, I promise.”

“Yeah, I know.  Sorry, it’s just, I guess I’m not used to being without her either.”

“It’s okay Jon, we understand.  But we promise to take very good care of her and we’ll be back with her in the morning,” Nikki reassured.  “And it will only really be like 5 or 6 hours.”

“I know you’ll take great care of her.  I’ll just miss my little girl.  That’s all,” he said as he leaned down and kissed her forehead.  “Hey there sweetpea.  You’re going to go with Nikki and Bryan now so Daddy can stay here with Mommy.  I expect you to be on your best behavior.  I will ask Bryan for a full report in the morning.  I love you Mel.  I’ll see you soon,” Jon murmured as Nikki gently took Amelia out of his arms.

“I still have your car keys,” I said.  “Do you have your room key?” 

“Oh, good call.  Yeah, I think it is in my wallet somewhere.  Let me see,” he said as he pulled his wallet out of his back pocket and flipped it open.  “Yep, here it is.  Thanks again guys.  You have all been so great.  I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it.”

“You are more than welcome,” Nattie responded.  “Now try and get some rest.  We’ll see you later this morning,” she finished as we all started heading out of the hospital. 

_I hope Jon can settle in and relax a bit, maybe even catch some sleep while sitting with Kayla.  Lord knows he could use it._


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the delay in posting this chapter. I had a death in the family and didn't have access to my computer for a while. Updates should be more regular again, with new chapters a couple of times a week. Thanks for your patience.

** Chapter 10 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_As I watched Nikki carry Mel out of the hospital, I couldn’t help but feel this overwhelming sense of loss.  I know it is silly.  I will see her again in like six or seven hours.  I guess feeling like I don’t have either of my girls with me is just a little too much for me to process right now.  Well, to be fair, I was still with Kayla.  She just wasn’t exactly with me._

_Okay Jon, enough of that.  Don’t wallow in it.  Kayla needs to feel positive energy, not you moping around and acting like a big baby.  Thankfully, my thoughts were interrupted by a nurse who explained that they were going to be moving Kayla soon and that she would show me where I could wait while they moved her and got her settled.  I followed the nurse down several hallways and up two floors in an elevator before we finally arrived in the ICU._

“You can go wait in there,” the nurse said, indicating a small lounge area with a few couches and several chairs.  “Another nurse will come and let you know when she is all settled and you can go back and be with her.  They will be putting her in room 318.”

“Okay.  Thank you.  I’ll be here,” I replied.

_As soon as the nurse left, I decided to have a seat in one of the chairs.  The room was empty at the moment, so I had the place to myself.  I was so exhausted, and part of me just wanted to take a nap.  But a bigger part of me wanted to stay awake until I could go be with Kayla again.  I don’t think I could slow my thoughts down enough at this point to sleep anyway._

_My thoughts were usually all over the place on a good day, let alone when something like this was going on.  In fact, Kayla often teased me when I was telling a story about how far off track I could get as my thoughts jumped from topic to topic.  Yeah, my short attention span had always been a part of who I was.  Along with perhaps a touch of too much energy.  Of course, those were things about me that Kayla said were both endearing and exasperating.  Lord the woman was practically a saint for putting up with me, I thought with a grin._

_As I sat there, grinning like an idiot at the thought, I noticed my knees were once again bouncing and my fingers were tapping on my shoulder too.  Better find a way to occupy myself until the nurse comes to get me.  I decided if there was one person who wouldn’t mind hearing from me at this hour, it would be Colby.  I knew he was awake and probably on a plane by now.  Plus, he was used to my restless energy and my need to ground myself somehow.  I used to do that by reading or playing a video game, but that was before I had a friend like Colby.  I punched his number on my phone and waited for him to answer._

“Hey Jon.  Any news or are you just getting antsy?” Colby asked as I smiled at how well he knew me.

“Well, I don’t have any news if that answers your question,” I replied with a smirk.

“So where is everybody?  Did they leave you all alone?”

“They all went back to the hotel.  They took Mel too so she could get a good night’s sleep.  It feels weird though.”

“I bet.  I’m kinda surprised you let them take her.  Did they have to pry her out of your cold dead hands?” Colby teased.

“Come on man, I’m not that bad,” I argued.

“Sure, sure Jon.  If you say so.  You are definitely not overprotective of your loved ones and your daughter is certainly not a Daddy’s girl.  In fact, some people might even think you don’t care about them at all, what with your cavalier attitude,” he taunted.

“Alright, that’s enough.  I get it.  It is possible that I am a bit overly attached to my wife and daughter, but can you blame me for holding on a bit too tight?  I waited a long to time finally have the kind of family that I always wanted as a kid, ya know?”

“I know man.  I just like to give you a hard time.  You are actually a great husband and father.  Never would have predicted that when we first met.”

“Oh really?  So, what, you thought I’d be a terrible husband and father?”

“That’s not what I meant Jon.  It’s just, you were so withdrawn into yourself.  It was hard to picture you letting anyone get close enough to build that kind of relationship with.  But then, you met me and of course I helped change your life for the better,” he said in his smug Seth Rollins voice.

“So, let me get this straight.  Not only did my life need improvement, but you are taking credit for changing it?” I asked sarcastically.

“Yep,” he replied.

“Gee, thanks then, I guess.  What would I do without you?” I teased.

“I shudder to think Jon,” he chuckled.

“So, you don’t think Kayla had anything to do with it – you know, changing my life for the better?”

“Oh Jon, please.  She was just following my lead.  She and Joe rode my coattails on that one.  Don’t you remember?  I was the one who introduced you to Kayla.”

“While that is technically true, you only did that because Joe had stepped out of the locker room for a minute.  She was his sister-in-law and you had only met her like five minutes earlier.  Come to think of it, why did you meet her first?  Where was I?”

“Who knows Jon.  Don’t get distracted.  It doesn’t matter anyway.  The important thing to remember is that I introduced you and you two seemed to get along right away.”

“Yeah, I remember the four of us went out that night after taping Smackdown.  Joe wanted us to get to know her better since they were considering putting her in a storyline with the Shield.”

“That’s right.  You and Kayla chatted all night about your favorite wrestlers, while the two of you kicked our ass at pool.  Joe and I had never heard you talk that much to someone you had just met.  And we definitely didn’t suspect Kayla’s pool skills.  We knew you would be tough to beat, so that’s why we paired you with the newbie, or at least that’s what she led us to believe she was.”

“Yeah, we really pulled one over on you guys that night.  We won like $200 off you, if I remember correctly.”

“Wait a minute.  Jon, are you saying you knew she could shoot pool?  You acted just as surprised as we were,” Colby asked indignantly.

“I plead the fifth,” I responded.

“I can’t believe this!  I’m telling Joe.”

“Do what you need to do Colby,” I laughed.

“Wow, the things you learn about a person,” he mumbled.  “You two were scheming right from the start.  Two peas in a pod.”

“Yeah, we were best friends.  But I had to tread kind of carefully because she was with Randy at the time.  I didn’t want him to think I was after his girl or anything.”

“I sometimes wonder if you would have become friends with her so easily, if she hadn’t been attached and was single when you met her,” Colby pondered.

“What do you mean?  How would that have changed anything?” I wondered.

“I just think that something about knowing she was taken kind of took the pressure off for you.  You didn’t see her as a threat to get too close like you would if she had been a potential girlfriend.  On top of that, she was Joe’s family, so you could justify being friends with her.  It probably helped you let your guard down and then she just slipped right past your defenses,” he mused.

“What are you an amateur psychologist now?” I questioned, not wanting to admit he was probably right.

“No, but I am an expert in most things Jon Good,” he answered smugly.  “I get you.  And I’m pretty sure I am right about this.”

“What’s that Colby?  I think we’re starting to lose the signal.  Must be all the interference from the airplane.  I might have to let you go.”

“Whatever Jon.  You are full of shit, but I’ll let it go this time.  You are under a bit of stress after all.”

“Thanks Colby.  You’re a real pal.”

“I know.  I’ll see you soon Jon,” Colby said as he hung up.

_I sat there for about five more minutes thinking about the great, and slightly bizarre relationship Colby and I had.  He wasn’t kidding when he said he got me.  But to hear some of our conversations, you might think we couldn’t stand one another.  That was the cool thing about our friendship though.  We could say absolutely anything to one another, and neither of us would take offense.  At least not for long.  It was hard to explain to anyone who didn’t know us both, but somehow, it worked._

_It was totally different than my friendship with Joe.  He was more the strong, supportive voice of reason.  Colby and I were much more excitable.  But Joe was very level headed and was a really good listener.  He was also quite skilled at helping you figure out what you really wanted, without telling you what to do.  In contrast to Colby and myself, Joe and I almost never bickered.  Teased each other, sure, but we didn’t really argue.  Although our characters were known to let our egos get in the way, that was certainly not the case with the two of us.  In fact, there were times when I felt like Joe was almost our big brother, always looking out for his two knucklehead little brothers.  It was different from my relationship with Colby, to be sure, but no less special to me._

_Man, I seem to be overly reflective today.  They say a traumatic event can cause you to really take a close look at your life.  Maybe that’s what this is all about.  Or maybe it is just my brains way of keeping me occupied.  Either way, I…_

“Excuse me, Mr. Good?”

“Please, call me Jon.”

“Okay, Jon.  Your wife is all settled now and I figured you would probably like to go sit with her again.”

“I definitely would.  Thank you.”

“She is down the hall to your right, 3rd door on the left.”

“Thank you so much.  I appreciate it.”

“No problem Jon.”

_I quickly made my way down the hall and into Kayla’s room.  It was a room with a single bed, so it looked like we would have the place to ourselves.  Just as well – what with the small army of friends and family that would surely be invading in the morning.  That reminds me, I should probably send out a group text or something with Kayla’s room number.  After struggling to recall just how to do that on my stupid phone, I finally figured it out and pressed send.  Then I pulled my chair right over next to the bed and grabbed Kayla’s hand in mine._

“Well babe, it’s just you and me again.  Mel is back at the hotel with Bryan and Nikki.  Don’t worry, she promised me she would be on her best behavior.  And you had better rest up because starting tomorrow, you are going to have a plethora of visitors.  Plethora – I wonder where that word came from.  It sounds kind of funny when you say it fast a few times.  Plethora, plethora, plethora.  Wow, okay, I think I definitely need to catch some sleep.  I am getting a little loopy.  I’ll be right here if you need me.  I love you sweetheart,” I said as I laid my head down on the edge of the bed.  For once, the thoughts in my head had gone silent and I quickly drifted off to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading and please feel free to leave me a comment or Kudos. They are much appreciated.


	11. Chapter 11

** Chapter 11 **

**_Colby’s POV_ **

****

_Randy had picked me up at the airport and now we were headed to the hospital in his rental.  It was just after five in the morning and I was just so worried about my friends.  My thoughts were on overdrive._

“So, what’s with the cupcake?” Randy asked, snapping me out of my thoughts.  “Need a little sugar rush?” he teased.

“What?  No, it’s not for me.  It’s for Jon actually.”

“You’re bringing him a cupcake?” Randy asked, looking very confused.

“It’s Jon’s birthday,” I explained.  “And I know it’s silly, what with everything going on, but I just had to do a little something to acknowledge it.”

“Shit man.  I forgot it was his birthday today.  Hell of a way to spend it.  We were all gonna go out last night after Smackdown to celebrate.  It’s why we all booked hotel rooms for an extra night.  Guess with everything going on, we forgot about it.”

“I think that’s understandable, and I know he will obviously not want to celebrate.  He’s never particularly loved birthdays anyway.  But, I felt like I had to let him know we didn’t forget it.  Anyway, thanks for picking me up man.  It was one less thing for Jon to worry about.”

“It’s not a problem Colby.  I wanted to go and see Kayla anyway.  Even though we have both moved on and are completely happy in our new relationships, I will always care about her,” Randy replied.

“Well, you can care about her all you want, but just don’t forget she is married to Jon now and they have a daughter together,” I warned.

“Relax man.  I have no desire to get back together with Kayla.  In case you have forgotten, I am a happily married man myself.”

“Sorry, I know.  I am just so worried about both of them and everything they are going through.  I guess I am just being a little overprotective.” 

_I had to laugh at the irony of that, considering the conversation I had with Jon earlier about the very same topic._

“Anyway, I really do appreciate the ride and I know Jon wouldn’t have invited you if he didn’t think you would be good for Kayla.”

“Yeah.  He has always been pretty accepting of our continued friendship.  Not all guys would be.  You wouldn’t expect it from the guy who plays Dean Ambrose, not to mention Jon Moxley.  He’d probably kick my ass for coming anywhere near Kayla.”

“A lot of people are surprised at how different Jon is from the characters he plays.  Although he and Dean do have a few things in common,” I explained.

“Oh yeah, what would they be?” Randy asked, looking intrigued – or maybe he was just humoring me.

“Well, for one, both Dean and Jon have a very hard time remaining still.”

“Ya don’t say,” Randy replied sarcastically.  “I never noticed.”

“Anyway, and they both prefer to have just a small circle of close friends and are more comfortable with less people around.  Although Jon is getting better with that, and Dean loves playing to a crowd.  And finally, they both have short attention spans and are very easily distracted.  Although I will say, it always amazes me how focused and on point Jon can be when Dean is cutting a promo.”

“I’d have to say I agree.  But I do think you missed one other thing they have in common.”

“Oh really?  What’s that?”

“Their slightly offbeat sense of humor.  They are both very funny when they want to be,” Randy explained.

“Good call.  I guess that is one more way they are alike.  But then there are lots of differences.  Where Dean is cocky and arrogant, Jon is confident and humble.  Where Dean is brash and confrontational, Jon is more laid back and even-keeled.  Dean spends most of his time looking out for Dean, while Jon, well, sometimes I wish he would worry a little more about himself instead of just about everybody else.  At any rate, I think with Dean, Jon has found the perfect mix of fiction and reality.  The fans seem to love it anyway.”

“That they do.  A far cry from the evil Moxley, who the fans loved to hate,” Randy commented.

“I know.  If you had only ever seen Jon as Jon Moxley, I could see why you might not want to get to know him.  Moxley was a scary and twisted individual, even if he was fascinating to watch.”

“To be honest, I was a bit worried when Kayla first started to hang out with you guys.  I only knew Jon from his reputation as Jon Moxley, and I didn’t want him anywhere near my girlfriend.  But he really surprised me.  Not only with the way I saw him treat Kayla, which was with nothing but respect, but with the way he approached me when the two of them were put in a romantic storyline together.  He wanted to make sure that I was comfortable with it because he didn’t want it to be something that could cause problems for us.  At first, I felt a bit insulted that he didn’t think we could handle it, but the more we talked, the more I realized that he genuinely wanted to do the right thing, even if it meant toning down a storyline that held great potential for him.  I could tell he really cared about Kayla and her happiness.”

“You know nothing ever happened between them while you two were still together.  They were always just friends.  They never crossed that line.”

“Relax Colby, I know.  Kayla and I had been drifting apart for quite a while before she and Jon even became friends.  We still cared about, and even loved each other, but we weren’t really in love with one another anymore.  Actually, I think meeting and spending time with Jon helped Kayla see that what we had left wasn’t really a relationship anymore.  She never said so, but I feel like that helped give her the courage to break things off with me, knowing that there should be so much more to a healthy relationship.  We both knew breaking up was the right thing to do, but neither of us wanted to be the one to do it.  And even though I felt sad when it happened, I was mostly relieved.  It wasn’t long after that that I met my future wife and that Jon and Kayla started dating.  It all worked out for the best.”

“Wow, I didn’t know all that.  I mean I knew the general, big picture of it, but not all the details.  I think that is also the most you have ever said to me in the past five years.”

“Well, don’t get used to it because we’re here,” Randy said, laughing it off as we got out of the car and headed into the hospital.

_We followed the signs for the Intensive Care Unit, and then stopped in at the nurses’ station to see if one of us could go let Jon know that we were here.  They said one of us could go back, as long as we kept it quiet, since most of the patients were still sleeping and visiting hours didn’t start for another few hours.  I suggested that Randy go back first, so he could have a visit with Kayla.  He looked surprised, but seemed to appreciate my suggestion.  I went to sit in the waiting room, as Randy made his way to Kayla’s room._


	12. Chapter 12

** Chapter 12 **

**_Randy’s POV_ **

****

_I walked into Kayla’s room and was a bit taken aback by how small and helpless she looked in the hospital bed.  If there is one thing that Kayla is not, it is helpless.  Then I noticed Jon holding her hand and sound asleep, with his head on her legs.  Poor guy.  He must be exhausted.  If felt guilty for having to wake him up, but I knew he would want to know that we were here._

“Jon, wake up man,” I said as I nudged him gently.

“What, what is it? What’s wrong?”  Jon responded in a panic.

“Relax Jon.  It’s just me.  I wanted to let you know that Colby and I just got here.  Sorry, I didn’t mean to startle you.”

“It’s okay.  I was just pretty out of it.  I’ve only slept like two hours since I got up yesterday morning.”

“Has there been any change?”

“Nothing yet.  They should be doing another CAT scan between eight and ten this morning.  Other than moving her to the ICU, it has been quiet,” he explained.  “Where’s Colby?”

“He’s waiting in the lounge for you.”

“Sounds good.  I hope he didn’t talk your ear off.”

“Nah, he was fine.  We actually had a nice conversation.”

“Well, good.  I really appreciate you picking him up and for coming to see Kayla.  I know she will be happy to hear your voice.  I’ll go see Colby and give you some privacy.”

“Thanks Jon.  I’ll come grab you when I’m done,” I said as he quietly left the room.

_I moved to take the seat he had vacated and decided to talk to Kayla.  Hopefully she could hear me, or at least know I was here._

“Well Kayla, you sure lucked out with that guy.  Imagine, you could have been stuck with me…I know, right?  The horror.  Seriously, he’s a really good man and he loves you more than anything.  So, if you know what’s good for you, you will stop this nonsense and wake the hell up!” I instructed.  “Well, I had to try.  You never really did what I said when we were together either,” I said smiling at the memories.

“So, I ended up giving Colby a ride here from the airport.  Man, that guy is quirky, huh?  He seems fiercely loyal to Jon though, and to you too I’m sure.  I didn’t mind giving him a lift, but I am not sure I could tolerate him in large doses.  Seriously Kayla, how do you stand it?”

_I let out a sigh as her silence seemed almost deafening.  I just wanted to hear her wake up and scold me for talking bad about Colby.  Anything other than the absolute silence that greeted me.  Maybe I should try a new tactic._

“So, Colby tells me that Amelia is back at the hotel with Bryan and Nikki.  I have to say, I am surprised they were able to pry her out of Jon’s arms.  He is such a proud papa.  I am so happy for you both.  But now you need to remember everything you have to wake up for and fight for it.  You have a husband who would do absolutely anything for you, and a beautiful baby girl who needs her mama.  So you keep fighting to come back to them, to come back to all of us, ya hear?  I ‘m gonna head out now.  I am sure Colby is busting at the seams to come see you.  I’ll be back though.  And I expect to find you awake when I return.  You got that?  Keep fighting Kayla,” I whispered as I stood up and walked back to the lounge.

_As soon as Colby saw me, he practically sprang from his seat and ran down the hall exclaiming, “My turn,”_ _as he blew past me.  I looked over at Jon, who was just smirking at Colby’s retreating form._

“Is he always this way?” I asked.

“What way would that be?” Jon questioned, hiding a grin.

“I don’t know.  Unpredictable.  Like he goes from calm and relaxed to protective and defensive, and then to pensive and introspective, all in the span of about five minutes.”

“Oh, that way.  Yep, that’s pretty much him to a T,” Jon chuckled.

“How do you keep up with it?”  I asked, seriously wanting to know the secret.

“I don’t know.  His emotions and behaviors change outwardly about as often as my thoughts jump around internally.  I guess we’re kindred spirits or something.  That, and I spent almost two full years when the Shield first debuted practically living with him 24/7.  So, I guess you could say I’m used to it,” he smiled.

“It’s not that I don’t like him,” I hastened to explain.

“It’s okay Randy.  He’s a bit of an acquired taste.  No offense taken.  How did things to with Kayla?” he asked, switching gears.

“Alright, I guess.  It is hard to see her like that.  She is usually so full of life,” I said as I noticed him flinch a little bit.  “Sorry, I know I’m not telling you anything new.”

“It’s okay.  I know exactly what you mean.  Hopefully, we will find out today that the swelling has gone down and that she is on her way back to us.”

“I told her that I would come back and see her again before I leave town.  If that’s okay.  I know her family is arriving today.”

“Of course it’s okay.  You can come any time you want.  The way I see it, the more people around who love her, the better.”

“Thanks Jon.  I appreciate it.  So, did Colby give you your cupcake?” I asked, no longer seeing it on the table.

“He did.  He insisted that I eat it to at least recognize my birthday in some small way.  It seemed really important to him, so I ate it, even though I didn’t particularly want to.”

“You’ve got a good friend there.”

“I know I do.”

“So, I think I’ll head out for now.  I know you’re in good hands with Colby.”

“Don’t tell him I said so, but yeah, I am,” Jon said as he stood to shake my hand.

“Take care Jon, and keep me posted.”

“Will do Randy.  See ya.”

_Now to go home and catch up on some sleep, I thought as I left the hospital.  I had a feeling it was going to be a long few days._


	13. Chapter 13

** Chapter 13 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_Colby and I were now both sitting with Kayla in her hospital room.  It was still too early for visiting hours, but the nurses didn’t seem to mind, especially since Kayla had her own room and we weren’t disturbing anyone.  We chatted quietly, as we regaled Kayla with stories from our days in the independent circuits – with me wrestling as Jon Moxley and Colby as Tyler Black.  Of course, because we were both a bit (okay a lot) competitive, we were trying to plead our case to Kayla about who was the better wrestler in the indies._

“Come on Kayla, you have to admit, even though Jon’s your husband, I clearly have the better body of work.  I mean, just google my matches – each one is a thing of beauty,” Colby boasted.

“Ah, the ever-humble Colby,” I teased.  “And exactly how many titles did Moxley hold again?” I prompted.

“Which one of us held the NXT title Jon?” Colby fired back.  “And was even the very first NXT men’s title holder?  Oh yes, that would be me, not you.  Listen Kayla, Moxley may have been the king of extreme matches, I’ll give him that, but Tyler could sell a match without gimmicks and just on his merit as a wrestler,” Colby continued.

“Ouch man.  That hurts,” I replied.  “You know, Moxley could be a technical wrestler too.  He just enjoyed putting on a good show for the fans, even at the expense of his own well-being.  Come on baby, back me up here,” I requested as we both looked at Kayla.

“I hope you know you can’t avoid answering us forever,” Colby threatened.  “Eventually, you are going to wake up and when you do, we will expect an answer.  Man, the lengths you will go to, just to avoid choosing between us,” Colby smirked.

“Yes Colby, that’s why she is in a coma,” I responded.  “It has nothing to do with the blow to the head.”

“Shut up Jon.  Kayla understands me.  She appreciates how I think,” he stated emphatically.

“Yeah, she does.  But maybe we should give her some time to consider our arguments carefully.  Decisions like this can’t be rushed,” I quipped.

“You’re right,” Colby admitted.  “And I hate when you’re right.  Luckily it doesn’t happen all that often,” he taunted.

“Yes well, even a broken watch is right twice a day,” I threw back.

“Really Jon, that’s your comeback.  Lame! You are such a dork.”

“Well, I am going to claim sleep deprivation on this one,” I replied.

“Maybe we should try and catch a little bit of sleep, before Kayla heads off for her CAT scan and the crew from the hotel arrives with Mel.”

_I smiled at the thought of seeing Mel.  It’s funny, Colby is the only other person who has also adopted my nickname for her.  The rest of our friends and family continue to call her Amelia.  He’s right about needing some sleep too.  Things are going to get pretty hectic in a few hours._

“Why don’t you make yourself comfortable in the lounge man?  I am going to stay here with Kayla,” I said.

“I know better than to try to get you to leave,” he replied.  “But come get me if you need anything.”

“Thanks Colby.  I will.”

_As soon as he left, I once again found myself with my head on Kayla’s bed next to her legs, with my hand firmly wrapped around hers.  It wasn’t the most comfortable position, but I had certainly slept in less comfortable places.  I whispered some quick words of reassurance to Kayla, before giving into exhaustion, and falling asleep once again._


	14. Chapter 14

** Chapter 14 **

**_Colby’s POV_ **

****

_I went out to the lounge and quickly tried to make myself comfortable on one of the little couches.  They weren’t exactly made for people my size, but I wasn’t complaining.  I was just happy to be able to catch a couple hours of sleep.  I had only dozed off for about an hour on the plane, but hadn’t slept otherwise.  I know I need to rest up if I want to be able to be there for my friends.  Jon is really trying to be strong about all this, but I know it is eating him alive to have to just sit by and not be able to do anything to make it better.  And not knowing when Kayla will wake up has to be weighing on him.  I hope it’s soon.  Jon has finally made it to a place in his life where he is happy, and he deserves to hold onto that happiness.  Lord knows he had to wait a long time to find it.  With those thoughts swirling through my mind, I finally drifted off to sleep._

“Hey, sleeping beauty, time to wake up,” I heard someone say as I started to rouse, blinking my eyes at the bright light that was now shining through the window.

“It lives!” the voice said again, as I looked up to see its owner.  Bryan, of course.  I should have known.

“Hey guys.  What time is it?” I asked with a slight yawn.

“It is 9:30 in the morning.  What time did you get here?” Nattie asked.

“Around 5 am.  Randy picked me up.”

“How’s Jon?  Has there been any change with Kayla?” Nikki asked. 

_As I turned to look at Nikki, I saw my beautiful niece nestled in her arms.  She was wide awake though.  I liked to think of myself as her uncle, an honorary one anyway, even though Joe was her actual uncle.  But Jon was family to me, so Kayla and Mel were too._

“Jon’s doing okay, all things considered.  No change for Kayla, although she is supposed to be having a CAT scan soon.  I am pretty sure they haven’t taken her yet, or Jon would have woken me up.  Now, onto more important matters.  Let me see my favorite baby girl in the whole world,” I requested, reaching for Mel.

_It made me happy when she came to me without complaint.  I even got a little half smile from her.  I think she is going to perfect that smirk of her Daddy’s one of these days.  Even though she looks more like Kayla in most of her facial features, her eyes and her smile are all Jon._

“Hey Mel.  How’s my favorite baby girl?” I asked, as she patted my nose with her fingers.  “I hope you were behaving for these lovely people.”

“She was an angel,” Nikki answered.  “I do think she would love to see her Mommy and Daddy though.”

“I’ll take her back with me and go wake up Jon.  Even though that means I will have to turn you over to your Daddy.  I give it five seconds or less before he snatches you away from me.  What do you think Mel?  Want to make a bet on those odds?” I asked, gazing down at her.  “You’re right, that’s a bad bet.  We both know I’d win,” I said as I continued to address Mel. 

_Then I turned back towards Bryan, Nikki, and Nattie._

“I’ll be back in a couple of minutes,” I said as I began walking back to Kayla’s room.

_When we got there, I could see that Jon was still sound asleep, clutching Kayla’s hand in his.  I was happy to see that he finally got some much needed rest.  It was only a few hours, but it was better than nothing.  Time to wake him up though.  He wouldn’t want to miss a single minute with Mel._

“Jon, wake up buddy.  Someone is here to see you.”

“Colby? Who’s here?” he asked as he opened up his eyes and zeroed in on Mel.  “Mel,” he said as he got to his feet and came over to take her from me. 

_Yep, less than five seconds.  And Mel, for her part, got the happiest, goofiest look on her face and started babbling a little as soon as she saw her Daddy.  She was obviously happy to see him too.  Jon looked back at me, as he settled Mel in his arms and rolled the kinks out if his neck._

“Good morning Colby.  When did everybody get here?”

“Just about five minutes ago.  I assume no CAT scan yet.”

“Not yet, no.  But I would guess it will be soon,” he reasoned.

_Almost as if our conversation had conjured her appearance, a nurse came into the room, letting us know that they were about to take Kayla for her CAT scan and that she would be back in 30-45 minutes.  Jon leaned down to give Kayla a quick kiss and wished her luck, as Mel started to fuss a bit upon seeing her mother, but getting no response from her._

“Don’t worry sweetpea.  Mommy still loves you.  She just can’t hold you right now.  I know that doesn’t make a lick of sense to you, but Daddy’s got you.  And I promise, I’m not going anywhere,” Jon said to Mel in a calm and quiet voice.

“Come on Colby,” Jon directed as he continued to soothe Mel with words of reassurance.

_As soon as we were out of the room, Mel immediately seemed to settle and snuggled more securely in Jon’s arms._

“I should have realized how confusing that could be for her,” Jon lamented, obviously beating himself up over his daughter’s discomfort.

“Give yourself a break man.  It’s not like there is a rule book for this type of thing.  Besides, I’m the one who brought her in to you, so if anyone is to blame, it’s me,” I said apologetically.

“Nah man, you’re right.  It is just not an easy situation.  We will have to be careful about it in the future though,” Jon concluded.

“Well, at least now we know and we won’t make that mistake again,” I reassured, as we re-joined our friends in the lounge.


	15. Chapter 15

** Chapter 15 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_God, I was an idiot.  I can’t believe I didn’t think about how upsetting seeing her mom could be for Mel, especially when her mom was completely unresponsive to her.  This was the kind of stuff I needed Kayla for.  She was always the forward thinking one, the one who made the plans and anticipated what we might need next.  I was more in the moment.  Although my thoughts were constantly churning, they weren’t necessarily very forward thinking.  Not that I didn’t think about the future, but it was just lumped in with all of my other thoughts, without a specific focus on planning or consequences._

_Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t helpless.  I just missed my other half.  She helped balance me out and kept me grounded.  Meanwhile, I helped her let go of the worries and doubts she could have and got her to live in the moment and experience new things.  We had a nice blend of things we had in common, as well as differences that seemed to work for us.  Anyway, I knew I needed to let this go.  Being hard on myself wouldn’t help anything.  I just needed to avoid making the same mistake in the future.  Besides, Mel seemed happy again and was babbling away as she clapped her hands together – well, sort of clapped them anyway._

“Hey Jon.  How’s Kayla this morning?” Nikki asked, pulling me out of my musings.

“She’s about the same.  But they are taking her for another CAT scan right now.  Hopefully that will show a reduction in the swelling and bring us some good news.”

“I am sure it will be good news,” Nattie added.

“I hope so,” I returned.

“So, who wants breakfast besides me?” inquired Colby.

“I could go for some coffee, maybe something light like a bagel,” I responded.

“No problem.  What about you guys?” Colby asked, addressing the rest of our friends.

“We all grabbed something at the hotel before we left, so don’t worry about us,” Bryan responded.

“Okay, well, I’m going to go find the cafeteria.  I’ll be back,” Colby said as he wandered into the hall.

“So, thanks for taking care of Mel last night guys. I appreciate it.  Hope she wasn’t any trouble."

“No trouble at all Jon.  She is such a good girl.  Aren’t you Amelia?” Nikki prompted.

“Was she fussy?”

“Just a little at first when she woke up this morning.  I’m sure she wondered where her mom and dad were, but she was pretty easily soothed.  My brother-in-law here seemed to have the magic touch,” Nikki added, nodding towards Bryan.

“Well, good.  He’s gonna need it pretty soon with his own little girl on the way,” Nattie interjected.

“Yeah, nice of you to let me practice on your daughter Jon,” Daniel joked.

“Are you trying to say that you were using my daughter as a guinea pig to practice on?” I accused.

“What, no!  That’s not what I meant Jon,” Bryan defended.

“Relax Bryan.  I was just kidding.  I knew what you meant,” I relented.

“Oh, right.  I knew that,” Bryan stammered, causing Nattie and Nikki to chuckle.

“So cruel Jon,” Nikki said with a smile.

“I need to keep Bryan in check, you know?  Can’t let him get too big of a head now that he’s my boss on Smackdown,” I responded.

“That’s right.  I am your boss and you should show me a little more respect,” Bryan demanded indignantly.

“I’ll get right on that,” I answered with a smirk.

“Alright boys, why don’t you head to your separate corners,” Nattie suggested, even though she was well aware that this was a typical part of Bryan’s and my dynamic. 

_We could both be incredibly sarcastic.  That’s part of why we got along so well, despite our on-screen differences in the past.  Anyone who watched us interact now on Smackdown or Talking Smack could see our easy banter and chemistry.  Daniel and Dean could be quite entertaining.  But for now, I suppose a little peaceful coexistence was called for._

_Both Bryan and I gave Nattie a slight nod, as we attempted to look contrite.  Don’t think I really pulled that off, but everyone was laughing and it served as a great release of tension.  Of course, Colby picked that moment to return with the food._

“What?  What did I miss?” he questioned, hating to be out of the loop on anything.

“Nothing Colby,” Nikki responded.  Bryan and Jon were just being their usual sarcastic selves,” she explained.

“Oh, well, that doesn’t surprise me.  It’s one of Jon’s favorite modes of operation.”

“I’d love to defend myself, but I can’t really deny it,” I commented.

_This conversation was doing wonders to distract me while we waited, and I couldn’t thank my friends enough.  I was certain that they knew this was what I needed, as we all continued to banter back and forth while Colby and I ate our breakfast.  It definitely helped pass the time, and before I knew it, I saw them wheeling Kayla back to her room.  Then a nurse came over to let me know that a doctor would be with me shortly to let me know the results.  I thanked her and turned back towards my friends, the light banter of a few minutes ago all but forgotten and nervous energy practically_ pouring _out of me._

“Hey, it’s gonna be okay man,” Colby offered, recognizing the change in my demeanor.

“I just hope the doctor comes by soon.  All this waiting is making me crazy,” I answered honestly, as Mel started to fuss a little.

_I am sure she could feel my anxiety, I thought and knew that I needed to try and stay calm for her sake.  I took a deep breath and tried to sooth her (and myself) with some calming words of reassurance._

“Is that my granddaughter I hear making a fuss?” I heard Anna’s voice ask before I could actually see her.

_A moment later, she and Derek walked around the corner, with Shane trailing after them._

“Mom, Dad.  I am so glad you guys are here,” I exclaimed, as I walked over to them.

_Mel and I were immediately engulfed in a group hug between the two of them._

“Hey son.  You know there is nowhere else we would rather be,” Derek reassured.

“We are here for all of you,” Anna added.  “Now let me see my granddaughter.  Nana needs one of her cuddles.”

“Yes mam,” I said as I handed Mel over to her.

_For her part, Mel seemed perfectly content with her Nana.  Both of Kayla’s parents had come to stay with us for a couple of weeks when Mel was first born.  And we had visited them a few times since then.  I don’t know if Mel remembered them exactly, but she seemed comfortable with them._

“You guys are just in time.  We are expecting an update from the doctor any minute now about Kayla’s second CAT scan,” I explained.

“I’m happy we got here in time for that.  I know it will be good news,” Derek answered.

“I hope you’re right,” I replied.

“Of course I’m right son.  When have you ever known me to be wrong?”

_I was rescued from having to respond to that question when a doctor approached us._

“Which one of you is Kayla’s husband?” he asked.

“That’s me, I’m Jon,” I said, speaking up.

“Hi Jon.  I am Dr. Melbourne.  Would you like us to speak privately about your wife’s condition, or would you prefer to stay here?”

“Might as well stay here.  It will save me from just having to fill them in later.  They are all family and close friends.”

“It is certainly up to you.  I’ll just go ahead and give you and update on Kayla’s condition, and then you can ask me any questions you might have.  So, the first piece of news is that Kayla’s CAT scan looked good and the swelling has definitely gone down since last night, which is a great sign.  It isn’t completely gone, but we have no reason to believe that it will get any worse at this point.  If anything, it should continue to recede.  That leads me to the second point about your wife’s coma.  Although she still has enough markers to indicate that she remains in a coma, her number is slightly higher than before, which is the direction we want it to be moving in.  Although we still can’t say for certain when she will wake up, we are hopeful that it will be within the next few days.”

“That is great news!  Thank you so much.  I think that is about as good as we could have hoped for, save for a complete recovery,” I replied.

“Is there anything we should be doing to help Kayla get better?” Anna asked.

“I would say just keep doing what you’ve been doing.  Surround her with people who love her and keep talking to her.  From the looks of it, she has plenty of people ready to do that.  Other than that, I think time is the only thing she needs right now.  Now, unless you have any other questions, I will excuse myself.”

“I think we are all set.  Thanks again Dr. Melbourne,” I answered.

“You’re welcome,” he replied as he walked away.

“See, what’d I tell you buddy,” Colby grinned as he came over and gave me a quick ‘man hug’.

“She’s not out of the woods yet, but you’re right.  This is a really good step in the right direction,” I responded, feeling a cautious sense of relief.

“Of course our girl is going to be just fine,” Derek added.  “We never doubted it.  Now, I think it is time for Amelia to go back to her Daddy.”

“But Derek, I just got her,” Anna protested.

“You didn’t let me finish dear.  I think you should give Amelia back to Jon so you and I can go see our daughter.”

“Oh, hard to argue with you when you put it that way,” Anna responded, looking sheepish and handing Mel back to me.  “Now, let’s go see our girl Derek.”


	16. Chapter 16

** Chapter 16 **

**_Anna’s POV_ **

****

_Derek and I had been at the hospital for several hours now and had spent a long time sitting and talking with our daughter.  I wanted so desperately for her to open her eyes and answer us.  But, as Derek says, we just have to be patient and stay positive._

_We had been able to convince Jon to run back to the hotel for a quick shower and a change of clothes.  He was reluctant, but Derek insisted.  He sweetened the deal by suggesting Jon take Amelia with him, with Colby tagging along to babysit while Jon got ready.  We couldn’t ask for a son-in-law who was more devoted to our daughter and grandchild.  It was obvious they meant the world to him.  And we knew Kayla felt the same way._

_I still remember the first time we met Jon.  He had come to our house for the Christmas holidays, about a month after his WWE debut.  His sister had a boyfriend at the time and she was spending Christmas with his family.  Jon had been invited to go with them, but he said he felt like he would be intruding.  So, he just decided to spend the holiday on his own.  I got the feeling that wasn’t necessarily new for him.  Joe and Kayla, however, weren’t having it.  They had both become quite close to Jon in the short time that they had known him.  Since they were both family, and I considered them to be extremely good judges of character, we of course welcomed him into our home with open arms – literally._

_I smiled at the memory of how terribly uncertain Jon seemed about it all.  It was obvious he was not used to a family that showed affection freely, even for strangers.  He was a good sport about it though.  He was polite, but quiet at first, especially when the whole family was around.  But gradually, he became more comfortable and began to participate more in our conversations._

_But what really endeared him to me was something that I don’t think he even knows I overheard.  It was a conversation between him and Kayla.  It was obvious she was the one he was the most comfortable interacting with, and she seemed to value his friendship, even though they had only known each other for about a month._

_Kayla had just gotten off the phone with Randy and was feeling a bit lost about where they stood.  They weren’t fighting, but she just didn’t feel like they were connecting anymore either.  I don’t know if Kayla felt like Jon could be more objective, since the rest of us all really liked Randy, or if she just trusted his judgment, but I overheard her talking with Jon just moments after she hung up._

“Hey Jon.  Where is everybody?” Kayla asked.

“I think everyone headed upstairs to bed.  You okay?  You look kind of frustrated,” Jon responded.

“I don’t know Jon.  I am just so confused about everything with Randy.”

“Do you want to talk about it?” he asked.

“Really Jon?  I thought talking about feelings wasn’t exactly your cup of tea,” Kayla teased.

“Well, we wouldn’t be talking about my feelings,” Jon answered with a smirk.  “But you don’t have to tell me anything if you don’t want to.  I’m not trying to pry.”

“No, I think it might help to talk about it.”

“In that case, I’m all ears.  So, what’s going on?”

“I guess I am just not sure where Randy and I are headed as a couple,” Kayla answered.

“Why not?” Jon questioned.

“I’m not sure.  It just seems like we are kind of in a rut.  It’s hard to describe, but I’m not sure if we should move forward and like, make a commitment to each other.”

“Aren’t you already committed to each other?  I mean you live together and aren’t seeing other people, right?”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I mean.  I mean commit, like marriage.  It is really the only step we have left to take, you know.”

“Well, is that what you want?  Do you see yourself together forever?”

“That’s just it, I don’t know.  I mean, I still love him and if we were just going to keep moving along the way things are, I think I would be fine with that.”

“Then why try changing it?  You could just keep things the way they are.  As long as you would be happy.  That matters more than anything else.”

“I know.  But I kind of feel like we need to decide if this relationship has anywhere left to go, or if we are just treading water.  I mean, I do want to get married someday, so if this relationship isn’t ever going to head in that direction, what is the purpose of continuing on?”

“Like I said, only your own happiness really matters.  But if marriage is something you are really starting to think about, I guess you should consider what you picture when you think about a happy marriage.”

“What do you mean?”

“Well, different people have different ideas about what makes a good marriage.  Some people are looking more for security and stability, some for companionship, and some care more about a romantic connection.  Or maybe some mix of all three.”

“I guess I want a little of all three.  But I haven’t really thought about it that much.  What about you?”

“If you had asked me growing up, I would have told you that a good marriage, if such a thing existed, would be one where no one got abused or abandoned.  That’s about all the criteria I had, because I had never really seen a marriage where even those criteria held up.”

“Wow, that’s sad.”

“It was just my reality.”

“How about now?  What do you think it should look like now?”

“Now, I’ve actually had the chance to see some of my friends and co-workers in some really great marriages, and people like your parents who have made it work for almost 40 years.  I guess there are a few things about a good marriage that stand out for me.  Number one is finding someone who you can depend on to always be there, but who also appreciates your independence.  Number two is finding someone who you can laugh with, but who also takes you seriously.  And finally, finding someone who you feel passionately about and attracted to, but can be equally happy just sitting quietly by their side.  If I were you, I would think about those things and whether or not you have them in your relationship with Randy.  If not, is it something you can work on?  Or, if it can’t be changed, is it something you can live without.”

“Oh my god Jon.  Wow.  That is some pretty amazing advice.  No offense, but I never would have expected it, coming from you.”

“None taken.  It’s not like I am any sort of relationship expert.  Far from it.  But I do spend a lot of time observing and analyzing people.  It’s part of why I can be so quiet.  That’s just what I have noticed about couples who seem happy.”

“Do you think you want that someday?”

“I no longer rule it out completely but, as you may have noticed, it isn’t exactly easy for me to let people in, so I’m not holding my breath either.”

“Well, I think you deserve to be happy.”

“So do you.  I hope you can spend some time really thinking about what you want and then go from there with Randy.”

“That is exactly what I’m going to do.  I think I owe it to our relationship to figure out what I want and then work to make it happen.  If I can’t, then I guess at least I will have my answer.  Thanks Jon.  You’re the best.”

“I just want you to be happy Kayla.”

“Thanks Jon.  I guess I will head up to bed now too.  I’ve got a lot to think about.”

“Goodnight.”

“Do you need anything before I go up?”

“Nah.  I’m all set.  Thanks.”

“Okay, goodnight then Jon.  See ya in the morning.”

“Night.”

_I remember being pretty impressed with Jon’s advice, but it is what I overheard next that really made me respect him even more._

“Quite the advice Jon,” Joe said, as he walked into the room and sat down across from Jon.

“What, were you eavesdropping?” Jon responded, sounding a little embarrassed.

“I was just coming down to get a drink when I heard you two talking.  I didn’t really mean to eavesdrop, but I have to be honest, I was a little taken aback by the discussion you were having.”

“Didn’t think I could get that deep?” Jon asked sarcastically.

“Actually, that is not what I found the most intriguing.”

“Oh really.  What was it that caught your attention then?”

“You really don’t even know what you said do you?”

“What are you talking about man?  Just spit it out already,” Jon responded, sounding a bit exasperated.

“The things you said make a good marriage."

“Yeah, what about them?”

“You know they pretty much describe your friendship with Kayla, almost to a T, except maybe the romantic part.  Although I don’t doubt you find her attractive."

“What the hell are you talking about man?  Kayla and I are just friends.”  
  
“I know, but that doesn’t mean you can’t have feelings for her.”

“You’re delusional.  I’ll say it again.  Kayla and I are just friends.  Besides, she’s with Randy and I respect that.”

“I know you do.  I also noticed you didn’t deny having feelings for her.”

“However I feel or don’t feel isn’t relevant.”

“So you do have feelings for her!” Joe challenged.

“I am not having this conversation with you Joe.”

“Why don’t you tell her how you feel?  Maybe it would change how she moves forward with Randy.”

“Let’s say you’re right, and I’m not saying you are, saying something would just be 100% selfish.  She needs to make a decision based solely on how she feels about her relationship with Randy, without anything else complicating the issue.  She doesn’t need any outside pressure.  Kayla needs to figure out what makes her happy, whatever that is.”

“What about your feelings?  Don’t you deserve to be happy?”

“Listen man, all I need is to know that my friend is happy.  That’s all that matters.  So let it go, will ya?”

“Okay Jon.  Whatever you say.  I won’t push.  But you are my friend too and I want you to be happy.”

“I’m fine Joe.  I have no complaints.  Look at me.  I have three close friends, we are dominating in WWE, and I am even managing to feel comfortable at a family gathering.  I think I am doing pretty well for myself.”

“Okay, I said I would drop it.”

“Thank you.  Now, all of this sharing of feelings has exhausted me.  It’s more than I usually do in like a whole year,” Jon said with a chuckle.  “I’m heading to bed.”

“Goodnight man.  Take it easy.”

“Night Joe,” Jon answered before making his way upstairs.

_Meanwhile, I couldn’t help but think how lucky my daughter was to have someone who cared about her as much as Jon obviously did.  I had already liked him, but after that night, he earned a spot in my heart.  Of course I didn’t know at the time if anything more than friendship would ever develop between them, but I had a feeling he would be a part of her life in some capacity for a long time to come._

_Turns out I was right.  Not only did Kayla and Jon remain the best of friends, but about four months later, after Kayla broke things off with Randy, they began seeing each other.  And the rest, as they say, is history.  Now I just wanted Kayla to wake up and go back to the happy life that she had built with Jon.  Hopefully, that would happen soon._

_The waiting is so hard.  And I have only been here about five hours.  It’s been like 18 hours for Jon.  I don’t know how he’s doing it.  At least he got away for a little bit.  We were expecting him back any minute though.  Colby had texted to tell us that they were on their way.  Joe, Galina, and Ally were supposed to be getting in soon too.  The place was about to be hopping._


	17. Chapter 17

** Chapter 17 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_I was relieved to be heading back to the hospital.  While it was nice to have a quick break and grab a shower, I definitely wanted to be there the moment Kayla woke up.  So, as soon as Colby parked, I hopped out of the car, grabbed Mel and all her things, and headed back to the ICU.  Everyone was pretty much as we left them about an hour ago.  Nattie and Nikki were in sitting with Kayla, while my in-laws were chatting with Bryan.  They all stood to greet us as we walked in._

“Hey guys, did we miss anything?” Colby asked.

“Don’t worry Colby, you didn’t miss anything,” Bryan responded.

“Randy did stop by for a bit and Shane went back to the hotel, but other than that, not much has changed,” Derek added.  “How was your trip back to the hotel?”

“Well, I make an amazing babysitter if that’s what you were wondering.  Mel adores me,” Colby said beaming.

“Yeah, he’s real humble too,” I teased.  “The trip was fine though.  I did rent out some rooms for the night, so that people have a place to stay.  They are all on the same floor, so it should be pretty convenient.  I can always add more nights if we need them.  Hopefully Kayla will wake up soon and we won’t need them anymore.”

“Jon, you didn’t have to do that.  We can get our own room,” Derek protested.

“I just didn’t want anyone to have to worry about it,” I explained.

“We’ll talk more about this later,” Derek responded.

_Well, that was Dad-speak for “I’m going to be sure you don’t get your way, but I’ll wait until we’re alone to put my foot down.”_

“You can pay for my room Jon.  I’m fine with it,” Colby added.

“Thanks Colby.  You’re so accommodating,” I answered sarcastically.

“I aim to please Jon,” Colby said with a smirk.

“Did I just hear Colby say he aims to please?  Really?  Since when Colby?” Joe’s voice boomed as he, Galina, and Ally all entered the ICU lounge.

“Yeah, you heard him correctly.  Don’t worry, we all know better than to believe him,” I replied.  “Glad you guys could make it,” I said, giving them all a hug.

“You just don’t want to have to put up with Colby without backup,” Joe taunted.

“You know I can hear you, right?” Colby complained.

“And here we go again.  How does it deteriorate so rapidly into the three of you bickering from literally the moment you are all in the same room?” Galina asked, hiding a smirk.

“It’s a gift,” we all responded simultaneously, causing the group to laugh.

“So, how is my sister?” Galina asked.

“Well, all of the news from the doctor was good,” Anna responded.  “She is still in a coma, but the swelling on her brain is going down and her coma marker number is up.  Both are apparently a good thing.  While there aren’t any guarantees, the doctor was hopeful that Kayla would wake up sometime in the next few days.”

“Wow, that is good news,” Joe commented.

“Do you guys want to go see her?  Nikki and Nattie are in there right now, but there isn’t a certain number of visitors she can have during the day, and they are probably ready to leave anyway."

“Joe and I definitely want to head back.  Is there anything we should know first?” Galina asked.

“Just that the doctor said to keep letting her hear our voices.  Oh, and we aren’t taking Mel in the room, because it was too upsetting and confusing for her to be in there before.  Otherwise, there isn’t anything else you need to know,” I explained.

“Sounds good.  Let’s head down then Joe,” Galina directed.

“Right.  Which room is it?” Joe asked.

“Down the right hallway, 3rd door on the left,” I answered.

“Ally, you want to come with us?” Joe offered.

“No, I think I am going to chat with Jon for a bit and steal my niece away from him for a while.  Thanks though.”

“Sure thing,” Joe answered, as he and Galina left to go see Kayla.

_Meanwhile, Ally gave me another quick hug and then snatched Mel from my arms._


	18. Chapter 18

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope everyone enjoys SummerSlam tomorrow. Go Dean and Seth! For now, here's another chapter. Hope you like it.

** Chapter 18 **

**_Ally’s POV_ **

****

_Jon and I made our way into an empty hallway, as I gently wrapped my arms around Amelia and she looked up at me.  She seemed a bit uncertain, but not yet alarmed.  I had only seen her a few times since she was born, so she didn’t know me that well yet.  She must have decided that I was okay though as she settled in my arms, looking relaxed and comfortable.  I am sure having her Daddy close by helped her feel more secure.  Speaking of her Daddy, he looked exhausted.  It was obvious that my little brother was struggling to cope with everything.  I didn’t know if he would open up to me, but I had to try._

“Hell of a birthday, huh Jon?”

“Yeah, not the best one I’ve had.”

“So, how are you doing little brother?” I asked gently.

“I’m okay.  I just want Kayla to wake up, but at least the news is encouraging,” he replied.

“Right, now give me the real answer,” I instructed.

_For a moment, he just looked at me, with a question in his eyes.  I could see he was about to deny it, but then his shoulders sagged and the look in his eyes changed from one of determination to one of resignation._

“It sucks Ally.  I know the doctor’s news was good, but the whole thing is so hard to accept and go through.  I am out of my mind with worry.  I mean, what if she doesn’t wake up?  What the hell would I do then?”

_I considered answering, but he hastened to continue and I could see he just needed to be heard.  There would be time for reassurances later._

“Or if she does wake up, how long will it take?  I would wait forever, no doubt, but what happens in the meantime?  I don’t know how much time off I can have if the coma lasts for weeks or months.  And that thought just makes me feel like an absolute shit, because she is so much more important than my job.  But, I also know she wouldn’t want me to abandon it either.  Not that I can imagine tearing myself away from being with her.  I want to be the first person she sees when she wakes up, ya know?”

_I just nodded, as I sensed he wasn’t done yet._

“And Mel.  God, what about Mel?  You should have seen how sad and confused she looked when her Mommy didn’t pay attention to her or reach for her in any way.  It absolutely wrecked me to see her like that.  I know she can’t possibly understand what is happening.  Hell, I can’t really process it.  I feel like I should have known that would happen – been a better Dad and protected her from being in that situation.  But it just didn’t occur to me.  So many other things were running through my mind.  But she should have been my number one priority.  There’s just no excuse for it.

And I don’t know what to do about taking care of her either.  I mean, I know it isn’t the best for her to be out of a routine and here at the hospital, but I don’t just want to have other people taking care of her.  For one thing, I miss her when I’m not with her and for another, I don’t want her to feel abandoned by both of her parents. 

And what about when Kayla does wake up?  She obviously won’t be wrestling again any time soon, if ever, which is a whole other concern.  I mean how will she handle it if her wrestling career is over?  It is all she has ever wanted to do.  She worked so hard to come back after having Mel.  It could really destroy her.  I mean, don’t get me wrong, I know she is strong, but that would be a lot to take in for anyone. 

Even if she is just out for a while, how will she handle that on the heels of already being out for a year?  And not only that, what does it mean for us?  Will she still travel with me?  If she goes home to rest and recover, when will I see her and Mel?  I can’t be selfish and insist they travel with me if she isn’t up for it, but I don’t even want to think about being without them.  I know that plenty of wrestlers, like Joe, do things that way with their families and they make it work, but that has never been how Kayla and I have operated, except towards the very end of Kayla’s pregnancy.  Even then, I took time off to be with her when Mel was born, and right after.  We were never apart long-term.

It's not that I don’t think we are solid enough to make it work, but it definitely wouldn’t be easy.  And we would all have to adjust to not seeing one another so much.  I suppose I could walk away from wrestling too, we have enough money and would be okay financially.  But we both know what I am like with too much time on my hands.  I need to be active and involved in doing something, or my ADHD kicks into a whole ‘nother gear.  I mean, I could try medication, I guess.  But I don’t even like to take pain killers these days after the struggle I had to get clean eight years ago.  I never want to be that guy again.  Not just for Kayla and Mel, but for me too.

I’m not looking to escape reality anymore, and I have too much to live for.  We both know I might not have made it if I had kept using like I was.  I mean, I lost over 30 pounds in a year, and I didn’t exactly have the extra weight to lose.  I could have lost my career, and even my life.  Sad to think I was more upset at the prospect of losing wrestling.  I am just glad that I got scared enough to leave Puerto Rico and that whole scene behind me, and that you were willing to take in my sorry ass while I was getting my shit together and getting back on track with wrestling.  If you hadn’t been willing to help me, I would probably never have made it where I am today, and then I wouldn’t have Kayla or Mel.  I can’t lose what I have with them.  I fought too hard for it.  I just want someone to tell me it’s all gonna work out.  Promise me it’s going to be alright Ally,” Jon pleaded, as I sensed he had finally come to the end of his response.

_My heart was just breaking for the vulnerability I could hear in his voice.  My brother didn’t open up like this often, but when he did, he did it so completely that you could almost see the raw emotion rolling off of him.  I just hoped I could say or do something to offer him some comfort.  With that in mind, I carefully attempted to answer him._

“I can’t begin to predict what is going to happen Jon,” I answered, as he looked at me, deflated.  “But, what I can promise is that you will get through this.  You, Kayla, and Mel too.  I believe with every fiber or my being that the three of you will eventually come through this as a family.  Whatever happens between now and then, I know you have the strength to handle it.  And I know you have an entire contingent of family and friends who will be there for you while you are going through it.  Don’t forget that.  Let them in.  They need you too,” I finished.

_I could have addressed all of his concerns specifically, but I knew that what he really needed was just overall support and reassurance.  That whole spiel was really just the way his brain processes information, jumping from thought to thought.  I was just hoping that what I did say was able to bring him some sort of comfort.  For his part, Jon just stared back at me, with this totally unreadable look on his face for what felt like an eternity.  Finally, a small smirk appeared on his face and he reached out, enveloping me and Mel in a tight hug._

“That’s what I love about you big sister.  You can cut through all my rambling bullshit and get right to heart of things, finding the one thing that I really need to hear.  I love you kid,” Jon murmured as I stood there feeling a little stunned.

_We have never really said that to one another before.  Sure, we have shown that we love each other, but those words weren’t really spoken in our family.  I know being around Kayla and her family has really made it easier for Jon to express his feelings.  I, on the other hand, wasn’t so sure how to respond.  Instead, I gave him a quick squeeze with the arm that wasn’t holding Amelia, and let him go.  Then I responded to the less complicated part of his statement._

“Who you calling kid, little brother?  I am two years older than you, and always will be.  And even if I wasn’t older, I am way more mature, regardless of our actual ages.  And you may tower over me, but don’t think for one minute that I will let you get away with calling me kid ever again.  You hear me, kid?”

“I hear you Ally, and it’s okay.  I know you love me too,” Jon said as he kissed my forehead, picked Mel up out of my arms, and walked back towards the lounge, leaving me to collect myself privately.


	19. Chapter 19

** Chapter 19 **

**_Ally’s POV_ **

****

_I was still trying to pull myself together after talking with Jon when I saw Colby wander into the hall and walk in my direction._

“Hey Ally, Jon asked me to come check on you.  You doing okay?” he asked, looking like he was afraid I might break.

“I’m fine Colby.  I’m just trying to figure out how to help Jon.  That, and wrap my mind around the fact that he just told me he loved me.”

“Well, I know your just being here is helping Jon, and as for the rest, well, I get that it’s not really how your family operates.  So, I could see why it might freak you out a little,” Colby replied.

“He told you that?” I asked, a little surprised.

“He did, but I can also tell that, whether the words were ever spoken or not, you two have always loved each other.”

“Did he tell you that too?” I wondered.

“No, it’s just obvious in the way he talks about you and the stories he tells us about the two of you together.  It really wasn’t that hard to put together.”

“I see,” I replied, still feeling uncomfortable and also a little embarrassed that as a grown woman I was so thrown by my own brother telling me he loved me.  “You must think I’m being pretty pathetic.”

“Not at all.  Don’t worry about it.  Besides, Jon used to be exactly the same way.  I will never forget the look on his face when I told him I loved him.  That was years ago now, but that image will be burned into my memory forever.”

“You said you loved him?” I asked incredulously.

“Not like romantically, obviously, despite what you may have read on twitter or in fanfiction.  And it was way more conversational in nature.  But, yeah, I did.  And he looked like he wanted to crawl out of his skin.”

“What happened?” I asked, now extremely curious.

“It was just before Jon and Kayla started dating.  She and Randy had been broken up for a while, but Jon still hadn’t made a move and I was getting tired of waiting for him to man up.  I mean, we all knew he was already in love with her.  But for some reason, he wasn’t stepping up to ask her out, and I decided to confront him about it.  You may have heard that patience is not my strong suit,” Colby lamented.

”That’s the rumor,” I replied with a grin.

“Anyway, I eventually said something along the lines of ‘Jon, I love you like a brother man, but you are being an idiot.’  Then he just stood there gaping at me with his mouth open and look of almost panic in his eyes.  I thought for a moment he was going to run out of the room.  Eventually, he found his voice again, and decided to ignore the I love you part and addressed the idiot part of that statement instead.  I think he picked a bit of a fight with me about that part to cover for his discomfort with the rest.  I hadn’t meant to make him uncomfortable and didn’t even say it on purpose, but it wasn’t anything I thought twice about.  Obviously, it was different for him.”

“Yeah, well, in our world, loving someone meant trusting them, and that was never a safe bet.  So, how did you two work it out anyway?”

“Joe came in while we were bickering back and forth, launching insults at one another.  He told us we were both being ridiculous, that he didn’t care what we were arguing about, and that we should both shut the hell up.  Then, all three of us started arguing, with Jon and I ganging up on Joe, with a united front, telling him that he had no right to tell us what to do.  This went on for a while before we all realized how childish we were being.  It all worked out for the best though, because once we called a truce, the three of us went out for drinks and Joe and I talked with Jon about Kayla.  He finally opened up a little about what was holding him back and we had a really good conversation.  It must have been helpful to Jon too, because it wasn’t long after that that he and Kayla finally started dating.”

“Wow.  Jon never told me that story,” I chuckled.

“I am sure he didn’t.  My point is, that kind of thing was hard for him at first too.  But then he was saddled with me and Joe, as well as Kayla and her family, and we kind of just continued to clobber him over the head with it until he eventually felt comfortable telling us all he loved us.”

“Well, I never would have believed that Jon would be the emotionally mature one of the two of us,” I said, shaking my head in disbelief.

“I wouldn’t go that far.  Let’s not give Jon too much credit now,” Colby responded with a grin.

“Let’s not give Jon too much credit for what?” Jon asked walking back into the hallway.

“Anything, let’s not give Jon too much credit for anything,” Colby responded without missing a beat.

“Sounds about right,” I agreed.

“Thanks guys.  I really appreciate the support.  And you Ally, don’t encourage Colby.  He’s a terrible enough friend as it is.  Don’t encourage him to be even worse,” Jon said smirking.

“How dare you Jon!  I fly all the way here, in the middle of the night I might add, and even arrive before a single family member, and I still get this kind of treatment?  You would think that I deserve more respect,” Colby complained.

“Nope!” Jon answered simply, before they both burst out laughing.

“Classic Ambrose – Nope! – man, that never gets old,” Colby praised, still laughing.

“Yeah, it never does,” Jon added, and just like that they were done bickering.

“You two have a very strange friendship,” I commented as I looked back and forth between the two of them.

“We get that a lot,” answered Colby.  “In fact, pretty much all the time.”

“Come on you two, let’s head back in the lounge with the rest of the crew,” Jon directed as we all started to walk back together.


	20. Chapter 20

** Chapter 20 **

**_Galina’s POV_ **

****

_It was just after 8:00 Friday morning, about a day and a half since Joe and I had arrived at the hospital, and there had been no change with my sister’s condition.  Jon and I had spent the night in her room.  Jon and Kayla’s wrestling friends had all said their good-byes last night, with the exception of Randy, who had a flight out later this morning.  They had all caught flights home late last night so that they would have a day to refuel before heading to the next city for house shows on Saturday.  Colby had left directly for the next city’s house show early this morning, since the Raw crew had a show tonight.  Joe was waiting until the last minute to catch a flight.  Everybody that was left had gone back to the hotel last night, but we were expecting them back soon._

_Jon was sound asleep in a chair on the other side of the bed.  I had woken up about a half an hour ago and was just sitting and holding Kayla’s hand and quietly talking to her.  I kept asking her to fight to wake up soon.  Everybody missed her, and Jon, he was trying so hard to be strong, but it was obvious this whole experience was running him ragged.  I decided to let him sleep as long as possible.  It was the most relaxed I had seen him look in days.  I was just telling Kayla how adorable her husband looked when I felt her hand squeeze mine weakly, causing me to practically leap out of my chair at the first sign that she might be coming out of it._

“Kayla, can you hear me?  It’s Gal,” I said anxiously.

“Gal?” she whispered, making my heart practically leap with joy.

“Oh my God, Kayla, you’re awake!” I said, unable to keep the excitement out of my voice and surprised it hadn’t woken Jon.

“Gal, what happened?  Where am I?  Where’s Randy?” she asked as she looked up at me and then glanced around the room, a look of confusion crossing her face as she spotted Jon asleep in the chair.  “And why is Dean Ambrose here?” she questioned.  “That is Dean Ambrose, right?  I have seen him a couple of times in NXT.  He’s friends with Joe, but I’ve never really talked with him.  What the hell’s going on Gal?” she asked, looking lost and confused.

_I was hoping she was just out of sorts from having just woken up and began answering her questions carefully._

“Well, you are in the hospital.  You got injured during a match when you hit your head falling out of the ring.  You have been in a coma for three days.  And Randy has been here a few times,” I answered, not addressing her question about Jon, or Dean.

“Wow.  Okay, what about Dean?  What’s he doing here?”

“Um, well.  That is Dean, but actually, his name is Jon,” I said, pausing to look for any signs of recognition.

“Okay, Jon, Dean, whatever.  WHY IS HE HERE?” she asked more forcefully.

“Ah, maybe I should let somebody know that you are awake,” I evaded. 

_If she had some sort of memory loss, I didn’t want to do the wrong thing and tell her something I shouldn’t._

“That can wait.  Quit avoiding my question and give me a straight answer right now Gal,” she insisted.

“Well Jon is, he is kinda…your husband,” I responded softly, just before she let out a shriek.


	21. Chapter 21

** Chapter 21 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

****

“He’s my what?” I shouted at Galina, as my mind was reeling from her answer. 

_How could he be my husband?  I barely even remembered who he was.  I hadn’t even known his real name for god’s sake._

“What the hell is going on?”  I yelled, which caused Dean, err Jon, to suddenly jump up from his chair.

_He must have heard me yelling.  When he saw me, his eyes got wide and a giant grin appeared on his face._

“Kayla!  You’re awake!  Thank god baby.  I knew you would wake up soon.  I just knew it,” Jon babbled as he rushed over to me, completely unaware that I barely knew who he was.

“Um, Jon,” Galina started.

“Kayla, I love you so much baby.  I am so glad you came back to us,” Jon said as he kissed me on the forehead and hugged me to his chest gently.

_I was too stunned to say or do anything.  Gal must have seen the look on my face though, because she moved over next to Jon and gently pulled him away from me._

“Jon, back off for a second,” Gal said as she turned him to look at her.

“Gal, what are you doing?  I’m just happy to see her awake.  I feel like we’ve been waiting forever,” Jon said looking confused.

“I know Jon, and I am just as excited as you are, but,” she stammered.

“But what?  I just want to be with my wife,” he said, turning back towards me.

_I felt myself shrink away from him involuntarily.  I mean, he was practically a stranger.  Then I saw the smile fall from his face, as a look of confusion overcame his features and he took a step back, obviously seeing my discomfort._

“I, I don’t understand,” he croaked.

_Galina went to stand in front of him and took both of his hands in hers.  They were obviously close.  When the hell did that happen?  What else had I forgotten?_

“Jon, relax,” she began.

“Relax, she is acting like she doesn’t even know me!” Jon exclaimed.

_What happened next almost broke my heart, as I watched Jon’s expression become one of utter devastation as realization dawned.  Galina just pulled him to her, engulfing him in a hug.  I may not have known him, but he was obviously hurting, if that look was anything to go by.  I couldn’t help but feel sorry for him._

“It’s going to be okay Jon.  Just take a breath.  Obviously, Kayla is suffering from some sort of amnesia.  Let’s not panic, okay.  Let’s go find a nurse and then see what the doctors have to say.  She’s been through a lot the past few days.  Let’s give it time,” she said in a calm and reassuring voice, before taking a step back and releasing him.

_I could only sit and watch as the poor man visibly worked to compose himself as he looked between me and Galina, blinking rapidly.  Oh man, was he holding back tears?  How much time had I lost?_

“Sorry,” he murmured.  “I didn’t mean to make you uncomfortable.”

“It’s okay.  Don’t worry about it,” I said, not sure what to say or do next.

“Jon, why don’t you go find a nurse.  Let them know that Kayla is awake,” Galina suggested.

“What?  Oh, yeah.  Sure.  I’ll, um, I’ll be right back,” Jon responded absently.

“Thanks for getting through to him,” I said.  “What the hell Gal?  How can I be married to him and not even remember him?”

“Well, what is the last thing you do remember?” she prompted.

“I don’t know.  I just remember Randy and I coming home from the Bahamas.  Wait, what happened to Randy?  You said he was here a few times.  Are we still friends?  We are obviously not together if I am married to this Jon person,” I mused, now thoroughly confused and just trying to piece it all together.

“Okay, so it sounds like you are remembering things from about four years ago.  That’s just before you got to know Jon.  You and Randy broke up a few months later.”

“Oh no!  Did I cheat on him with Jon?”

“Calm down.  It was nothing like that.  It was a mutual thing between you and Randy, and you are still friends,” she explained.

“That’s why he’s been to see me?”

“Yeah.  Jon’s been keeping him in the loop.”

“So, they must get along then?” I asked, not sure how that worked.

“Yes, they get along just fine.  Even though you and Jon started dating not too long after the breakup, there were never any hard feelings or jealously.  And besides, Randy…” Galina trailed off and got quiet.

“Randy what?”

“Listen Kayla, maybe I should just wait for the doctor.”

“Gal, just tell me.  What could be more shocking than finding out I have a husband that I don’t remember?”

“Fine.  Randy started dating someone else soon after the breakup too and…he married her,” she said, looking apologetic.

“So, I have a husband I don’t know and the boyfriend I do remember is married to someone else.  This sucks!  How could I have lost four years of my life?”

“They might not be lost forever.  Let’s just wait and see what the doctor has to say.  I am sure this is all overwhelming and I can’t begin to imagine what you are going through, but we will help you get through it.  And if you think you can manage it, go easy on Jon too.  He has been on an emotional rollercoaster the last three days.  He loves you so much,” she said, tearing up.

“You really care about him don’t you?” I asked.

“I do.  He’s family,” she answered just as Jon returned with a doctor in tow.

“Hey, uh, this is Dr. Melbourne.  He’s been monitoring your progress Kayla,” Dean-ugh-Jon explained.  “I ran into him in the hall when I went looking for a nurse,” he continued.

“So Kayla, how are you feeling?” Dr. Melbourne asked.

“You mean other than utterly confused?” I asked, giving a small smile.  “I think I’m okay.  My throat is kind of dry and I have a dull headache, but other than that, I’m alright,” I responded.

“Well, the dry throat is easily solved.  You can have some water.  That should help with your head too.  As for the confusion, what do you remember?” he asked.

“Well, I have just been kind of working that out with Galina.  I don’t remember anything about what happened to me – like how I got injured.”

“That is fairly typical,” he explained.

“Yeah, but I think I have lost a lot more than that.  I was telling my sister about some of the last things that I remember – like a trip I took with my boyfriend, Randy – and she said that was about four years ago,” I finished.

_I saw Jon flinch when I referred to Randy as my boyfriend, but he quickly composed himself._

“Well, that is obviously more serious and less typical,” Dr. Melbourne responded.  “Although it is not inconsistent with the location of your head trauma,” he elaborated.

“Is there any way to tell how long it will last?” I asked, desperate to know what I was facing.

“There’s no way to predict for certain.  For some people, the memories come back all at once, soon after they recover physically, some recover their memories in bits and pieces, some can take a lot longer, and for a select few, they don’t remember at all.  I’m sorry.  I wish I could give you a more definitive answer.”

“Is there anything that could help, or anything that could inadvertently make it worse?” Jon asked.

“Unfortunately, we haven’t found much that helps.  Just telling a person about their past, even physically exposing them to it doesn’t really seem to help, at least not consistently.  Some people try different methods like hypnosis, cognitive therapy, and certain nutritional adjustments.  Most commonly though, people have what we call spontaneous recovery.  That means that the memories can just come back, suddenly.  Unfortunately, there is no way to know when that might happen.  As for your second question, nothing will really make it worse, save for further head injuries.  But I assume you were referring more to things like sharing information about the past with Kayla.”

“Yeah.  That’s what I was wondering.  I wouldn’t want to do anything that could make the memory loss worse for Kayla,” Jon explained, avoiding my gaze.

“No, you don’t have to worry about that.  Just take your cues from Kayla here.  We find it is better to answer questions as they are asked, rather than to overwhelm a person with information.  But that is obviously up to you Kayla and what you are comfortable with.  I am also happy to speak with you more about possible amnesia treatments, if and when you decide you want more information.  So, unless you have any other questions, I will give you and your family a little time to process everything.”

“Thanks Dr. Melbourne,” I said.  “I think we have plenty to think about for now.”

“I’ll leave you alone then.  Glad to have you back with us.”

“Thanks,” I said as he left the room and a very awkward silence settled over us.

_The three of us just kind of stared at one another for a few seconds before Jon spoke._

“Well, I can just leave for a little bit if you want, so you and Galina can talk.  I’ll just go sit in the lounge,” he said as he started to head towards the door.

“Jon, you don’t have to go,” Galina said, giving me a pleading look with her eyes.

“Yeah, Jon.  You can stay.  Maybe you and Galina can fill me in on some of my past.  It sounds like you would know more about it than most,” I said tentatively.

_I may not have remembered him, but I couldn’t help but want to reach out to him.  He looked so lost.  At my words, Jon turned around and I saw a ghost of a smile appear on his face and Galina gave me an appreciative nod of approval._

“Sure, if that’s what you want.  I don’t want to overwhelm you with information,” Jon answered.

“Trust me, I’m not afraid to let you know if you do,” I responded.

“Don’t I know it,” he said with a smirk.

_Well, this was weird, but maybe hearing a little more about the last four years from Jon and Galina would at least make me feel less like a fish out of water, even if it didn’t help at all with my memory.  Jon sat down in the chair he had been in earlier, but then scooted it back away from me a little.  Galina sat on the bed with me and took my hand in hers._

“So, what do you want to know?” she asked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave comments or Kudos. They are much appreciated.


	22. Chapter 22

** Chapter 22 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_As Galina and I sat there and began to answer some basic questions about how long Kayla and I had been married, how we met, and what was going on with the rest of the family, I couldn’t help but freak out – at least on the inside.  I never even considered memory loss as part of the equation.  I went from being on top of the world when I saw that Kayla was awake, to the floor dropping out from under me when it became obvious she didn’t know who I was.  Now what am I going to do?  No time for that now Jon.  Pull yourself together and just keep talking with her.  Don’t freak her out with all of your emotions.  I tried to reel in my thoughts – feels like I’ve been doing a lot of that lately – and focused back in on the conversation._

“Oh, and Joelle is seven now and she’s in second grade.  Joe and I are so proud of her.  She just got her first report card, and she is doing well.  She is also going to her first birthday party without us staying with her in a few weeks.  I can’t believe how fast she is growing.”

“You can’t believe it, for me she was just three years old yesterday!  Where is she now?”

“She’s with Joe’s parents, although she wanted to come and see you and Jon, and of course her cous-”

_Galina stopped mid-sentence.  She had been about to say her cousin Amelia.  She flicked her eyes towards me, not knowing what to say._

“Her crazy Uncle Colby,” I finished for her.  “She never wants to miss a chance to see him.  Not sure why though.  I am the much cooler uncle.  Besides, I am an actual uncle, not just an honorary one,” I joked.

“Wait, back up,” Kayla said.

_When she said that, I had a brief moment of panic.  We obviously have to be very thoughtful about how we tell her about Mel.  I mean, of course we have to tell her, but not by accident and not without careful planning about how and when to do it.  I mean there’s no telling how a person will feel when they find out they have a child they don’t remember._

“Back up to what?” I asked cautiously.

“Uncle Colby,” she said.  “Who is that?”

_Galina and I both breathed a sigh of relief.  That was a much easier question to field._

“You might know him as Seth Rollins from FCW or NXT,” I responded.

“The name sounds familiar.  I am sure I have at least seen him around before.  You all are good friends I suppose?” Kayla asked.

“We are all great friends,” Galina responded.  “You, me, Joe, Jon, and Colby.  The four of you actually fought together in a faction called The Shield.”

“Wait, I wrestled with a group of guys?” Kayla wanted to know.

“Yeah, we were pretty unstoppable,” I added.

_It looked like Kayla was about to ask another question when Derek, Anna, and Joe all arrived in her room.  They were obviously ecstatic to see her awake._

“Sweetheart, you’re awake!” Anna exclaimed, running over to Kayla, as Derek and Joe followed. 

“We’re so happy to see you awake kiddo,” Derek echoed.

“So, when did this happen?” Joe asked.

“About 45 minutes ago,” Galina answered.

“Why didn’t you call us?” Anna questioned.

“We were a little busy.  Sorry guys,” I said, catching their attention for the first time since they came into the room and swarmed Kayla.

“What’s the matter son?  Why are you all the way over there?” Derek asked me, looking confused.

“Mom, Dad, I think I’ll let Galina and Kayla explain.  I’ll just give you guys some family time and go make some phone calls.”

“Jon, what are you talking about?  You are family.  I don’t understand,” Anna replied, while Joe just looked at me with a question in his eyes.

“I’ll be back.  Is Ally here with…is Ally here?” I asked.

“She’s in the lounge with…” Joe started.

“Thanks,” I said, cutting him off and giving him a look that said to drop it.

_He seemed more confused than ever, but closed his mouth and let it drop as I quietly backed out of the room. I started to walk away, trying to find a private place to pull myself together before going to find Mel and Ally.  I had only taken about two steps when I felt a hand on my shoulder.  It was Joe.  Of course he followed me._

“What the hell’s going on man?  Kayla is awake and you still look like someone ran over your puppy.  And why couldn’t I mention Amelia?” he questioned.

“She doesn’t know me Joe,” I said quietly, nearly choking on a sob.

“What?” he exclaimed.

“She doesn’t know me.  She has amnesia.”

“Oh my god, Jon.  I am so sorry.  How much time has she lost?”

“About four years, since just before we met.  Perfect timing, right?” I said sarcastically.

“Come on man, it’ll be okay.  Just give it time.  She’ll remember,” Joe offered.

“You don’t know that!” I yelled.  “What if she doesn’t?  What if I’ve lost her Joe?  What the hell do I do now?” I asked desperately as I sunk to the floor in an empty hallway and put my head down on my knees.

_It wasn’t long before I felt a few sobs wracking my body.  I’ve never been one to cry very much, especially not in front of another person, but I knew there was nothing I could do to stop it.  It was all just too much to hold in.  At least I could trust Joe not to make fun of me._

“It’s okay buddy.  Let it out,” Joe whispered as he sat down next to me and draped his arm across my back. 

_It was something I would have totally balked at years ago, but found comforting at the moment.  I gave myself a few more minutes to just get it out of my system before picking my head up and gathering myself together._

“Sorry, I guess everything just finally reached a breaking point,” I offered.

“No worries man.  Honestly, I don’t know how you held it together this long.  Not sure how you found the strength to sit there calmly chatting while Kayla didn’t remember you.  What happened after she woke up anyway?”

“I, of course, was all over her – like and idiot – and didn’t notice how uncomfortable I was making her.  Galina had to pull me away and explain that she had lost her memory.  Then we got the doctor and he talked to us about amnesia – like her prognosis and possible courses of action.  After that, he suggested that we just start answering Kayla’s questions as she asked them, instead of overwhelming her with information.  I can’t begin to tell you what it was like to see her recoil from me, like I was a stranger.  And then to tell her stories about our life together, and to watch her listen like she was just an outsider and like they had happened to someone else.  It was soul crushing.”

“Why did you stay in the room?  I am sure Gal could have answered her questions.”

“Because Kayla asked me to,” I said simply.  “I would do anything for her.”

“I know man.  I am so sorry you are having to deal with this, and we will definitely talk more later.  Are you okay for now if I head back in there?”

“Yeah man.  I am going to find Ally and Mel.  I need to see my little girl.  I’ll be okay.  Thank you.”

“Any time man.  See you in a bit.”


	23. Chapter 23

** Chapter 23 **

**_Ally’s POV_ **

****

_I was sitting in the lounge and bouncing Amelia in my lap when I saw Jon walking towards us.  He looked terrible.  I hoped Kayla hadn’t taken a turn for the worse._

“Jon, what’s wrong?  Is Kayla okay?” I asked in a rush.

“Yeah, Kayla’s okay.  In fact, she just woke up about an hour ago,” he answered but remained rather solemn, thoroughly confusing me.

“Then I don’t understand.  I thought you’d be over the moon when she woke up.  What aren’t you telling me?” I asked.

“Kayla seems okay, at least physically, but…” Jon hesitated.

“But what, Jon?” I asked, afraid to hear his reply.

“She has amnesia Ally.  She doesn’t even know who I am.  She’s forgotten the last four years,” he said, looking utterly defeated.

_It felt almost like a physical blow when he told me that.  The devastation was evident in his voice and in his entire body language, and I could think of no words that would be adequate at a time like this.  Instead, I silently handed him his daughter back and watched as he clutched her closely to his chest, a small grin appearing on his face for a brief moment as he snuggled with her._

“Daddy loves you sweetpea,” he whispered and then looked up at me with tears in his eyes.

“Jon, I am so sorry.  I don’t even know what else to say.  What can I do?”

“There’s nothing anyone can do.  We just have to take it one step at a time,” he replied.

“What did the doctor say?  How long does he think the memory loss will last?” I wondered.

“He says that there is no way to tell.  She could remember everything an hour from now, a month from now, a year from now, or possibly not ever,” he sighed.

“Well, I refuse to believe that last option.  Her memory will come back Jon, you just have to have faith and hang in there.”

“I know.  I just don’t know what to do or how to even approach the situation.  All I want to do is run in there and throw my arms around her, ya know?  Instead, I left the room so Kayla could have some time alone with her family.  She looked so confused and overwhelmed.  She feels sorry for me Ally.  I can see it in her eyes.  Do you have any idea how it feels to see pity as the only emotion that the love of your life feels for you?  It’s suffocating.  I had to get out of there.  I am glad she is with her family, but Mel and I, we’re her family too and it hurts not being able to be there with her.”

“Oh god, Mel!” I said.  “Does she not remember Mel?” I asked, dreading the answer.

“I doubt she would since she has forgotten the last four years, but no one has brought it up yet.  I’m not sure we even know how.”

“You’ll figure it out.  I know you will,” I replied.

“Thanks Ally.  I just need some time, I guess, to process all of this.  I think Mel and I are going to go for a walk,” Jon explained.

“Are you sure you don’t want me to come with you?” I asked.

“Yeah, I’m sure.  I just need a few minutes to myself.  Then I should probably make some phone calls.  Kayla’s friends deserve to know that she is awake.”

“Okay, well, I’m here if you need me,” I said as I reached up to give him a hug.

“I know you are.  I’ll be back in a little while,” he responded before he walked away and my heart just broke for him.


	24. Chapter 24

** Chapter 24 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

****

_I walked out of the lounge and into the hallway hugging Mel to my chest tightly and reassuring her, and myself, that everything was going to be okay.  I had no idea where I was going, but I just needed to get away for a bit and be alone with my thoughts, as jumbled and upsetting as they were.  I didn’t even know which ones to try and process first.  There was, of course, the exhilaration over Kayla waking up in the first place.  Don’t get me wrong, I was beyond grateful for that.  And I’d rather have Kayla awake and forgetting me than still in a coma.  But, the whole amnesia thing, that scared the shit out of me.  The possibility, no matter how remote, that she would never regain her memory was just too overwhelming to contemplate.  Even though Kayla was going to be fine physically, I could still lose her.  And that terrified me._

_I knew I couldn’t let thoughts like that take over though.  And even if I did lose her, I had to remind myself that at least she was okay.  That was the bottom line.  I just had to try and take everything else as it came.  But I also had no idea how to act around her.  I obviously couldn’t act like her husband and freak her out, but I didn’t know how to act like a stranger either – not letting on how much I loved her.  And my sweet baby girl.  How would Kayla respond to her?  Whatever happened, I needed to make things okay for Mel.  That started with figuring out how to tell Kayla about her.  I needed to talk to her family.  Maybe I should call Randy too.  If Kayla still felt like they were together, maybe having him here would be reassuring.  I had no doubt he would be willing to come.  Okay, at least I had a plan of action, a first step, I thought as I dug out my phone and looked down at my daughter._

“Don’t worry Mel.  Daddy is going to take care of you.  I’ll find a way to make this right sweetpea,” I said as I dialed Randy’s number.

“Hello?”

“Hey Randy, it’s Jon,” I began.

“Jon, is there any news?”

“Actually, I’m calling because Kayla woke up a little over an hour ago.”

“Jon, that’s fantastic!  I am so happy to hear that.  How is she feeling?”

“She’s doing pretty well, but there is a bit of a problem.”

“What is it man?  Is she gonna be okay?” Randy asked, sounding concerned.

“Yes, she’s going to be fine.  But, well, she has amnesia,” I hastened to explain.

“Amnesia?  Like how bad?  What does she remember?”

“Well, she uh, she has forgotten the last four years completely.  She doesn’t even know who I am.”

“Oh god, Jon.  I’m so sorry.  Can I do anything?”

“Actually, that’s part of why I was calling.  I think you can help.”

“Whatever you need, man.  Name it.”

“So, we are still kind of reeling from all this, but we are trying to help Kayla feel more comfortable.  You can imagine this is all really overwhelming for her.”

“Of course.  I’m sure it would be.”

“Anyway, from Kayla’s point of view, you and she are still together.  She knows that you are broken up and that she and I are married, but for her, the two of you just came back from your trip to the Bahamas – shortly before we met actually.”

“Wow.  I hadn’t thought about that.  How do you think I can help?”

“She trusts you man.  I think it would make her feel better to see you.  Don’t worry, she knows you are married.”

“I’m not worried about that Jon.  And I’m happy to help.  I just, are you sure you’re okay with this?  It’s bound to be awkward.”

“Trust me, I know.  And I can’t say that I am okay with any of this, but I think it’s what’s best for Kayla.  Besides, I think she’s gonna need as many people around that she trusts as she can get when we have to tell her about Amelia.”

“I hadn’t even considered that she wouldn’t remember Amelia.  How in the world do you tell her that?”

“I don’t know.  I am going to talk with her family about it.  I don’t want to overwhelm her, but I kind of think that ship has sailed – and I feel like she needs to know sooner rather than later.  It has almost come out already by accident – and that would be way worse than just telling her straight up.”

“I agree, and I’ll do whatever you need.  I don’t wrestle until tomorrow, so I can probably change to a later flight.”

“I know you want to get home man.  Your wife is due any day now, right?”

“She is.  I’ll call her and see what she says.  Unless she is in labor though, I think she won’t mind if I stay a few more hours.  I’m taking time off soon anyway to be with her and the baby.”

“Thanks man.  I really appreciate it.”

“Not a problem Jon.  I’ll be there soon.”

_Okay, one phone call down I thought.  Colby was the only other person I was going to call, at least for the moment.  First though, I should send out a group text to the rest of our friends.  I just didn’t have it in me to explain to them all separately.  At least I figured out how to send group texts the other day.  Now to call Colby.  This should be interesting, I thought as I heard the phone ringing on the other end._

“I can’t even believe this shit.  How can Kayla wake up and not remember us?  You’re her husband.  More than that, you’re Dean Freaking Ambrose, man.  And what about me?  Nobody forgets Colby Lopez!  I’m unforgettable.  How did this happen?” Colby ranted as soon as he answered.

“I see you’ve spoken with Joe,” I remarked, when I finally managed to get a word in.

“Twenty minutes Jon.  It’s been twenty minutes since Joe called me to tell me about Kayla, and you’re just now getting around to calling me!  What the hell Jon?”

“Are you done Colby?” I asked with a smirk, having fully anticipated this type of response.

“Am I done?  No, I’m not done.  Do you have any idea how much patience I have shown in the last twenty minutes?  I wanted to call you like 500 times, but I didn’t.  I waited for you to call me.  Personally, I think I’ve shown and incredible amount of restraint, trying to give you some time,” he finished.

“So, this is you, showing restraint?” I asked, failing to hold back a chuckle.

“I think you know it is.  This sucks Jon.  I’m so sorry.  I wish I was still there.”

“I know.  I wish you were too,” I said and meant it, despite his initial rant.  I knew it was only because he cared and that he didn’t know how to help.

“So, what’s the deal man?  What’s our game plan?  How are we going to get Kayla to remember you?”

“I don’t know Colby.  I’m not sure there’s anything we can do.  I don’t think it works like that,” I replied solemnly. 

“Of course there’s something we can do.  I refuse to believe that there isn’t.  We just need to keep showing her who she is - who you are together.  And if that doesn’t work, well, I guess you will just have to use that Dean Ambrose charm to make her fall for you all over again.  Use those dimples to your advantage.  I won’t accept anything less than a complete reunion.”

“Thanks Colby.  I’m not sure if your plans will work, but I appreciate your optimism and enthusiasm.” 

“There’s no other choice Jon.  You have to believe it will happen.”

“I believe it’s possible.  I just can’t help but feel scared that it might never happen.”

“I know it’s hard, and of course it is scary, but you can’t give up.  Don’t lose help.  What the two of you have is too special to let something like this destroy it.”

“I’ll do my best.”

“I know you will, and I know I come on strong, but I just can’t let myself believe things won’t work out.  You know I won’t judge you though, no matter how you are feeling.  All evidence to the contrary.”

“I know Colby.  Like I said, I want to be optimistic, but for the moment, I am still busy just trying to figure out what to do next and how to act around Kayla, let alone trying to focus the big picture.”

“Message received.  I will attempt to dial it down.  Is there anything I can do?”

“I don’t think so man.  Just be ready to listen when I need to talk.  You know what listening is right?  When you stop talking and listen to what the other person has to say,” I said sarcastically.

“I think I’ve heard the term before.  Maybe I’ll Google it,” Colby responded, making me laugh.

“Thanks Colby.  I needed a laugh.  You truly are one of a kind.”

“Of course I am.  And I’m here whenever you need me.  I’ll even attempt to reign in my advice.  Maybe I’ll Google the word patience too, see what Wikipedia has to say.”

“Good luck with that,” I responded, smiling.  “I’ll call you again soon.”

“You’d better,” Colby replied before hanging up.

“Mel, your Uncle Colby is enough to make anyone’s head spin,” I whispered as Mel smiled up at me and babbled.

_Okay, now back to reality.   I needed to go talk to Kayla’s family to see what they thought we should tell her about Mel.  With that goal in mind, I headed back to the lounge once again to leave Mel with Ally.  She was just starting to fuss and probably needed a diaper change.  Perfect time to hand her off to her Aunt Ally._


	25. Chapter 25

** Chapter 25 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

****

_It was so comforting to have all of my family here with me – well, I guess not all of family.  My husband was still gone.  I hoped he was doing okay.  Everybody else seemed pretty worried about him.  Still, it was nice to be able to talk and share common memories with my parents, my sister, and my brother-in-law.  It helped me feel a little bit normal for a while.  I could almost pretend that I hadn’t lost my memory and didn’t have all of that hanging over my head.  My family wasn’t pushing, and our conversations covered mostly safe topics like things from when Gal and I were growing up.  I knew it couldn’t last though and that I would have to face reality again sooner or later.  I appreciated the momentary stress release though._

_Then I noticed Jon discretely peeking his head in my hospital room.  And just like that, reality came crashing back.  My family must have noticed him too because they all invited him in and then walked over to him, offering him hugs and words of reassurance.  It was obvious they all loved him and that they all had a great relationship.  I even heard him call my parents Mom and Dad.  He must be a good guy – ugh, why couldn’t I remember?_

“Sorry to interrupt, but there is someone here who would like to come in and say hello, and I was hoping to have a few words with the rest of you so we can give them some privacy,” Jon said, looking uncertain.

“Who’s here son?” my father asked.

“Randy is here to see Kayla,” Jon responded.

“Randy’s here?” I asked, unable to hide the excitement in my voice.

“Yeah, he wanted to see you,” Jon responded, not meeting my eyes.

“I sure did,” Randy said as he entered the room. 

_I noticed my family gave him a friendly greeting, but it certainly didn’t mirror the love the obviously had for Jon._

“We’ll just give you two some privacy,” Jon directed, as he hustled my parents, Joe, and Galina out of the room.

_They all appeared to be a bit confused, but they followed him out none-the-less.  That left Randy and I alone together._

“Hey kid, how are you doing?” he inquired.

“Alright, I guess.  My head is kind of spinning though.  I can’t believe that I’ve lost four years of my life.  I feel like you and I just came back from our trip to the Bahamas.  It’s crazy.”

“I know.  Jon told me when he called.”

“He called you?” I asked, a little surprised.

“He did.  He’s worried about you and thought another familiar face could help.  He’s been really good about keeping me posted and letting me visit since you’ve been here.  That man would do absolutely anything for you.”

“Yeah, he seems like a good guy.  Why can’t I remember him?”

“I don’t know kiddo.  I think it will just take time.”

“But how much time?  And what else don’t I remember?  I feel like there is something else they aren’t telling me.  Do you have any idea what that might be?” I asked, hoping Randy knew and would tell me.

“It’s not really my place to say.  But I feel like they’re going to talk to you about it soon.  I know Jon wants to.  He’s just not sure how to approach you since you don’t even know him.  It’s not bad news, I promise.”

“I don’t know how much more news I can handle, good or bad.  And Jon, God, I feel so guilty for not knowing who he is.  I know that I am hurting him.”

“Listen, Jon’s tough and he doesn’t blame you.  I know he wouldn’t want you to feel guilty.  Actually, that’s the last thing he would want.  He’s just trying to figure out how to act around you.”

“It seems like you two get along,” I prompted.

“We do.  I wouldn’t say we are close, but we are friends to a certain degree.  We both care about you, so we have at least that in common.”

“Still, things aren’t weird?” I wondered.

“Nah.  I think Jon knows I am not a threat.”

“Ouch.  Okay, obviously you’ve moved on,” I said. 

“I didn’t mean it like that.  I mean, yes, I have.  But so have you.  What I actually meant was that you two have such a great relationship, and he trusts you.  That’s why he doesn’t need to feel jealous.”

“God, the man sounds too good to be true.”

“He’s not perfect, but you make each other happy.  That was obvious right from the start.”

“But weren’t we together when I met Jon?”

“We were, but we were already drifting apart.  If you remember four years ago, you probably have some sense of that.  Our trip to the Bahamas wasn’t exactly what either of us had hoped for.  But, to answer the question you didn’t ask, no, nothing happened between the two of you until we broke up.  Neither of you would have crossed that line.”

“That’s what Gal said.  That’s a relief, I guess.  How did we break up anyway?  Did you break it off with me or did I break things off with you?”

“You brought it up, but we kind of both agreed that we weren’t really working as a couple anymore.”

“So what, we just went our separate ways?”

“Basically, but we remained friends.  I was genuinely happy for you when you and Jon finally got together.  It was obvious he had been into you from the start.  But he respected you and our relationship too much to ever say anything.  Heck, he even waited to say anything for months after we broke up.  In fact, I think you finally asked him out.”

“Really?  Doesn’t sound like me.”

“I’ll let him tell you about it sometime.”

“If he doesn’t get sick of waiting for me to remember.”

“Something tells me that won’t happen.”

“My family seems to love him, that’s for sure.”

“Yeah, they all love him.  They know he makes you happy.  But they were already part of the Jon Good fan club before you even started dating.”

“That’s his last name, Good?”

“Yeah.  Actually, it’s your last name too,” Randy said a bit sheepishly.

“Oh, wow.  I guess it would be.  How am I going to get through this Randy?  I don’t even know my own last name for crying out loud!” I exclaimed, starting to feel overwhelmed again.

“Relax kid.  Just let your friends and family be here for you, and don’t put too much pressure on yourself.  Just let things happen.  It will all work out, just give it time.”

“Easier said than done.”

“I know, but hang in there,” he said, grabbing my hand and giving it a quick squeeze.

“Hey, can we come back in?” my mother asked from the doorway.

“Of course you can,” I said, giving her a smile as they all filed back in – Mom, Dad, Galina, and Joe.  Jon wasn’t with them, but they all had pretty serious looks on their faces.

“I’ll just go,” Randy said, standing up.

“Actually, why don’t you stay for a minute?” my dad requested.

“Are you sure?  I feel like I’m intruding,” Randy answered. 

_He obviously knew what was going on.  I had no idea, but it made me nervous._

“It’s fine Randy.  Just stay for a few minutes.  We have something we need to talk to Kayla about,” my mom added.

“You guys are scaring me.  Is there something wrong with me that I don’t know about?  I can tell you’re holding something back.  Please, just tell me, whatever it is,” I pleaded.

_Both of my parents walked over to me and each took one of my hands in their own.  That wasn’t a good sign._

“Sweetheart, it’s nothing bad, we promise.  But there is something else you have forgotten that we think you need to know about,” my dad began.

“What is it?  Just tell me,” I asked again.

“Okay.  So, you know that you and Jon have been married for almost three years.”

“Right, he told me,” I answered cautiously.

“So, you two are actually very happy together, and um, almost six months ago, you two, well you guys had your first child together,” my father finished awkwardly.

“No, no, no.  Wait just a minute.  I would know if I had a child.  I mean, aren’t mothers just supposed to know these things?  Memory or no memory?”  I asked, feeling completely overwhelmed. 

_I didn’t know it could get any worse than forgetting a husband and losing the last four years.  What was wrong with me?”_

“Now sweetie, we know this is a lot to take in, and we didn’t know exactly how and when to tell you.  But we really didn’t think it was something we should keep from you,” my mom explained.

“Is it, is it…” I started to ask, but had to stop and start over, as I could barely get the words past the lump in my throat.  “Is it a boy or a girl?” I asked, desperately trying to assimilate this new information.

“You have a beautiful baby girl.  Her name is Amelia.  That’s what we all call her, but Jon just calls her Mel,” Galina answered.

“Randy, you knew this was what they were going to tell me, didn’t you?  It’s what you were trying to avoid telling me earlier, isn’t it?”

“It is.  I knew it wasn’t my place to say anything, but it is a part of why Jon asked me to come.  He just wanted you to have a friend to be here for you.  This can’t be easy to take in.”

“That’s an understatement,” I croaked.

“It’s okay sweetie.  Anything you are feeling is okay,” my mom tried to reassure me.

“Really?  Because right now I am feeling like I’m a terrible mother, because I didn’t even remember I had a child.  I haven’t even asked about her.  What kind of parent is that?”

“One who has amnesia Kayla.  You can’t blame yourself for not remembering.  It is not your fault.  Not in any way.  Amnesia takes away all of your memories, not just select ones.  Please don’t blame yourself,” my father encouraged.

“Logically, I know what you are saying, but you can’t imagine what it’s like to suddenly find out you have a child you have no memory of ever carrying or delivering, let alone taking care of.  I just, oh God, how can this be possible?”

“It’s gonna be okay kid.  Even if you don’t remember Amelia, I know that love is still in there somewhere.  And it will come back to you.  We’ve all seen you with your daughter and you are an amazing mother.  Those instincts are still there, just on a more subconscious level right now.  Don’t try to force it.  Just get to know her again.  She already loves you.  I’m sure you’ll be fine once you spend some time with her,” Randy consoled.

“Do you want to meet her?” my mom asked.

“I want to, but what if she knows there is something wrong with me?  What if I don’t know how to hold her?  What if she senses how nervous I am?”

“Relax sweetheart.  You aren’t going to screw anything up.  She’s just an infant.  All you need to do is hold her and talk to her.  Remember, she is already comfortable with you.  You’re her mom.  She wants to see you.  She already got all fussy when she saw you before and she wanted to go to you.  But you couldn’t take her because you were in the coma.  She’s just going to be happy that she is in your arms again,” Dad explained.

“Okay, I guess I’m ready then.  Where is she?”

“She’s with Jon.  I’ll text him to tell him to bring her in,” Joe said, speaking up for the first time.

“Thanks Joe.  You guys will stay, right?” I asked, looking around the room.

“If you want us to, of course we will,” Galina answered as the door to my room opened and Jon stepped into the room, with our daughter (man, our daughter – that blows my mind) cradled against his chest.  He tentatively approached the bed, as my dad moved out of the way.

“Hey Kayla.  This is Amelia, or Mel for short,” Jon said, as he leaned down so I could get a good look at her.

“Jon, she’s beautiful,” I sighed, in awe that this little baby was actually mine.

“Well, luckily, she takes after her momma in the looks department.  My eyes though,” he mumbled.  “Do you want to hold her?”

“I don’t want to upset her,” I answered.

“You won’t upset her, and I know she would really like to cuddle with her mommy.  I brought a bottle for you to feed her.  I thought that might give you something to do with her.  Make it easier to know what to do.”

“Alright.  If you think she’ll come to me,” I said uncertainly.

“Of course she will.  Mel loves you.  See, she’s reaching for you,” Jon said smiling.

“What do I do?” I asked, starting to panic.

“Here, just cradle her in your arms like this and talk to her.  Then I’ll give you the bottle.”

“How’s this?”

“You’re doing just fine.  Now Mel, take it easy on your mom.  She’s had a rough few days.  So no showing her your impressive lung capacity.  At least not yet anyway,” Jon said, winking at our daughter.

_She grabbed his finger and smiled at him while he talked.  It seemed so natural for him.  In contrast, I was hyper-sensitive to absolutely everything about the situation.  It definitely did not feel natural to me I thought as I just stared down at her._

“Go ahead, just say hi to her,” Jon encouraged.

“H-hi Amelia.  It’s your Mommy.  I’m sorry I couldn’t hold you before when I was sleeping.  But I’m here now,” I stammered, as Amelia turned her head towards mine and blew a little bubble.

_I took that as acceptance.  She still had Jon’s finger in her hand, but reached up and touched my nose with her other hand.  I was relieved that she seemed to like me._

“See, I told you she missed her Mommy,” Jon whispered.  “Here, you can start feeding her this.  She’ll get fussy in a few minutes if you don’t.  And nobody wants to hear that do they sweetpea?  You could wake up the whole hallway, couldn’t you?  Don’t worry, Mommy will feed you.  Just put the bottle near her mouth,” Jon instructed.  “She’ll do the rest, trust me.”

_I did as Jon suggested and was in awe as I saw that he was right.  Amelia latched right onto the tip and started chowing down.  I was doing it!  I was feeding my daughter.  All of a sudden, I felt both elated and completely overwhelmed.  I could feel myself tearing up.  I didn’t know what all of this meant moving forward, but I thought Jon and I definitely needed to talk._

“Do you guys think you could give us a few minutes?” I asked, clearing my throat and blinking back tears.  “I’d like to talk to Jon, if you don’t mind.”

“Of course sweetie,” my mom replied, as everyone started filing out of the room, except for Jon and Randy.

“I have to head out now kid, but I think you are in good hands.  Call me if you need anything, okay?”

“Sure.  Thanks for being here,” I responded, barely taking my eyes off of my daughter.

“Thanks for staying around, and for being here.  I really appreciate it man,” Jon said, shaking Randy’s hand.

“No problem Jon.  You know that.  Take care, all of you.”

“We will,” Jon responded as Randy headed out.  “Are you okay Kayla?  I know you’ve had a lot of surprises.  I wish there had been an easier way to tell you everything,” Jon lamented.

“I’m okay Jon.  Just having way too many conflicting emotions.  I mean, I’m looking at this precious little girl and my heart is just melting, but I also feel devastated that I don’t actually remember her.  It makes me feel ashamed.”  
  
“Kayla, you have nothing to feel ashamed about.  I can understand why you would feel that way, but it’s not your fault.  You haven’t don’t anything wrong.  In fact, I think you’re handling everything extremely well, all things considered.  I mean, in the last several hours, you have discovered that you have lost your memories for the last four years, met a husband you didn’t know you had, and found out you had a daughter.  I’d be shocked if you weren’t overwhelmed.”

“I guess a part of me was just hoping that seeing my daughter would trigger something, you know?  I mean, if that didn’t do it, I don’t know what will.”

“I don’t think that’s how it works exactly.  And you can’t force it to happen.  Just take it easy on yourself.  Give it time.  Don’t try to rush it.”

“How can you even say that?  Your whole life is basically on hold thanks to me and what I can’t remember.  Don’t pretend like it isn’t killing you.  I saw the look on your face when you first realized that I didn’t know you.  You were devastated.  I may not remember you or know you very well, but I could tell that much.”

“Of course I was upset.  My wife has no idea who I am.  I won’t lie and say I’m okay with that.  But I don’t blame you.  It’s not something either one of us can control.  As much as I hate that you lost your memory, I am still so grateful that you woke up and that you’re okay.  That’s all that matters for now.  We’ll just take the rest one day at a time.”

“Are you sure you can do that?  It sounds like an awful lot to ask,” I mumbled.

“Of course I can do that.  I’m not saying it will be easy, but I’ll do whatever it takes to make things the best I can for all of us.  You and Mel mean everything to me.  There is nothing I wouldn’t do for either of you.  I hope that doesn’t make you uncomfortable.  It’s just a fact.”

“Not uncomfortable exactly, but just maybe more guilty.  It seems like an incredibly one-sided relationship.”

“For now, maybe.  Buy who knows what will happen tomorrow, or the next day.  I can wait.  I don’t want you to feel pressured.  You already have enough to deal with.”

“Jon, what if…what if I never remember?  What if I just slowly stomp on your heart for the foreseeable future?  I don’t want to do that,” I croaked.

“Let’s cross that bridge when we come to it.  We can’t know what the future holds.  But if we never get back together, then we both pick up the pieces and move on.  That’s not what I want, and it would be terrible to go through, but I would survive it.  I do know that we will at the very least remain friends because Mel deserves that.  But, like I said, let’s not borrow trouble.  Let’s just see what tomorrow brings.”

“Speaking of tomorrow, I don’t know when I’m getting out of here, but I was thinking it might be good for me to go spend some time at my parents.  At least for a little while so I can take some time to process all of this,” I said, looking up at Jon hesitantly.

_I knew he wouldn’t be crazy about the suggestion.  I could see a look of disappointment flicker in his eyes, but he quickly shook it off and smiled back at me._

“I think that some time at your parents will do you some good.  I can pack up some stuff for Mel when I go back to the hotel room,” he began.

“Wait Jon.  You misunderstand.  I am not planning to take Mel away from you.  I was thinking she could stay with you,” I explained in a rush.

“Are you sure?  I understand if you feel like you need some time with her to re-connect.  Don’t get me wrong, I’d love to have her with me, but I don’t want you to feel like I am keeping her from you.  That’s the last thing I want to do,” Jon explained.

“I think I need a little time to get my head together, and it is obvious how much you love her.  And as much as I am enjoying spending this time with her, I just don’t have that same connection.  At least not yet.  Does that make me a terrible mother?”

“Of course not.  It just means that you have an incredible amount on your plate right now and that you are making the best choice that you can.  Besides, I will love having her with me.  It’s possible she has me wrapped around her finger just a little,” Jon said, smirking down at our daughter.

“I think I could tell that already – just watching you with her.  You’re a natural.”

“Well, I have also had almost six months of practice.  Speaking of practice, she needs to be burped.  Do you want to do it, or do you want me to?”

“I think I’ll let you have the pleasure,” I answered sheepishly.

“Sure.  I do recommend that you put a burp cloth on your shoulder when you do burp her, because she tends to spit up a little formula from time to time,” Jon explained.

_I just watched as Jon tapped her back gently until she let out quite the belch._

Jon chuckled and said, “Well, she may look like you, but she clearly got that particular talent from her daddy, didn’t you sweetpea?”

_That caused Mel to smile at him again as she looked up at her dad.  They obviously had a very close bond, and I felt myself feeling simultaneously grateful for that and jealous at the same time.  Time to change the topic I decided._

“So, this is totally changing the subject, but do you remember the doctor saying anything about wrestling for me?  Like how long I will need to be out?  I know it didn’t come up when I spoke with him.”

“No.  It hasn’t been something we talked about.  We were just so focused on waiting for you to wake up.  I would obviously expect you to be out for a while because you have a pretty severe concussion, but I have no idea for how long.  Do you want me to ask someone to come in to talk to you about it?”

“Yeah, I would appreciate it.  It’s just one more thing I need to know to be able to start thinking about how to move forward, ya know?”

“Of course.  That makes perfect sense.  They may want to run some more tests before they give you a time frame, I don’t know.  But I will find a nurse who can let the doctor on duty know you would like to speak with him.  I guess it could be a her too.  Sorry, that was sexist.”

“It’s fine Jon.  That is truly the least of my concerns at the moment,” I said, laughing a little.

“Okay, well, do you want me to leave Mel with you or take her with me while I look for a nurse?” Jon inquired.

“Why don’t you take her with you and maybe ask Gal to come in for a bit.  I kinda want some alone time with my sister,” I requested.

“Of course.  No problem.  I’ll see you later,” Jon said, giving me a small smile.  “Say goodbye to your mommy sweetpea.  We’ll see her more later, I promise,” Jon said before he left the room with Amelia, leaving me alone with my thoughts.


	26. Chapter 26

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So sorry for the delay with this chapter. Thanks for your patience.

** Chapter 26 **

**_Joe’s POV_ **

“I wonder how things are going in there,” Galina pondered, as we all sat around in the lounge chatting quietly. 

“I took it as a good sign that Jon got her feeding Amelia and that she asked to talk to him,” Derek added.

“Yeah, but telling her about Amelia wasn’t an easy conversation to have, that’s for sure,” I commented.  “There were a couple of times I thought she might lose it.”

“She held it together though.  Our girl’s a trooper,” Anna replied.

“Jon too.  I can’t even imagine how hard this is for him,” said Derek.

“Yeah, he actually broke down for a bit after we first got here, when I followed him out into the hall.  It made my heart break for him, but I was also kind of glad to see him letting it out for once.  I know he’s been trying so hard to stay strong for Kayla and Mel, and for the rest of us.  He’s terrified that she’ll never remember him.  I tried to reassure him, but I couldn’t make any promises because it is at least a possibility.”

“Whatever happens, we will be there for the two of them.  Kayla is our daughter, but Jon is like a son to us.  You both are, and we will support them both, no matter how things turn out,” Derek replied.

“Hey, I think I see Jon talking to one of the nurses.  He has Amelia with him.  Looks like they’re headed this way,” Galina chimed in.

“Jon, is everything okay?  We saw you talking with one of the nurses,” I asked.

“Everything is fine.  Kayla just got to wondering what her injury means for competing and how long she’ll have to be out.  I think that is an easier thing for her to focus on right now than everything else she is dealing with,” he answered.  “By the way Gal, she wanted to know if she could just talk to you alone for a little while, have some sister time.  I told her I’d send you in.”

“Thanks Jon.  How’s she doing with everything?  Did you guys have an okay talk?”

“She’s doing about as well as can be expected, but she is beating herself up about not remembering Mel and she kept apologizing for being unfair to me.  I tried to reassure her that none of this is her fault and that I don’t hold any of it against her, but I’m not sure she took it to heart.  Anything you could do to help make her believe that, would be greatly appreciated.  She doesn’t need to heap guilt on top of all the other emotions she is struggling with.”

“Of course I will Jon.  I’ll see what I can do,” my wife responded before heading for Kayla’s room.

“So, what else did you two talk about son?” Derek wanted to know.

“Well, Kayla wants to go and spend some time at your house for a while.  She says she thinks it will be a good place to kind of step back and wrap her mind around everything.  I agreed.  I think it sounds like a good idea.  Of course, I would prefer it if she stayed close by, but I don’t think that’s a reasonable expectation right now,” Jon finished.

“What about Amelia?  Is Kayla bringing her to our house or is she staying with you?” Anna wanted to know.

“I’m sorry, but she’s leaving her with me.  I said it was okay to take her, but she felt pretty strongly that Mel should stay with me, at least for now.  She kept saying how close Mel and I are and how she doesn’t have that same type of connection.  I told her that it might help for them to spend some time together, but I guess she isn’t quite ready for that and I couldn’t change her mind.”

“It’s okay son.  That’s probably for the best right now,” Derek reassured.

“What?  Why would you think that?” Jon questioned.

“Because she’s right.  You do have an extremely strong bond with Amelia and quite frankly, I would be worried about you if she didn’t stay with you, at least for the moment,” Derek explained.

“But, Kayla’s her mom.  Mel needs her,” Jon responded solemnly.

“I don’t think you give yourself enough credit Jon.  She needs her dad just as much, if not more right now, especially since her mom doesn’t remember her.  Don’t get me wrong, I think they will need to spend more time together eventually, but only when Kayla feels ready for it,” Anna added.

“It’s not that I don’t want Mel with me, because I absolutely do.  I felt like my heart was being torn out when Kayla talked about staying with you and I thought she was taking Mel with her.  And I admit I felt extremely relieved when she rushed to clarify that she thought Mel should stay with me.  But then I just felt 100% selfish for putting my feelings ahead of what’s best for them.”

“I think what Mom and Dad are trying to tell you, Jon, is that this is what is best for them, and for you.  At least for now,” I explained.

“Thanks guys.  That really means a lot.  I just want to be fair to everyone,” Jon replied.

“No one doubts that son.  But it’s also okay to be fair to yourself.  Kayla isn’t the only one with a lot to deal with.  We know you’re hurting too,” Derek said gently.

“I’m hanging in.  I am at least glad that we told her about Mel.  That was really stressing me out.  I hope we handled it the right way.”

“Relax Jon.  Your idea was a good one - having all of us and Randy be there for her, and then letting her feed Amelia.  I think it went as well as we could have hoped for, and she was obviously comfortable enough to hold Amelia and to talk to you alone.  I’d say that’s progress,” Anna reassured.

“I hope you’re right.  Hey, not to change the subject, but what happened to Ally?” Jon asked.

“She made a food run for us.  There’s a Subway not far from here.  We got you something in case you are hungry.  She should be back soon,” I explained.

“Yeah, I could go for some food,” Jon said as he tickled Mel’s belly and she giggled up at him. 

_I found myself thinking that I was actually pretty happy that Amelia would be staying with him.  I think he needs her more at the moment._

“I hate to say it, but I’m going to have to head out soon.  I have a plane to catch for my house show tonight,” I explained.

“Thanks for being here man.  I know you didn’t come just for me, but it helped having you here,” Jon said.

“You are more than welcome, and I would have come, even if Kayla wasn’t my sister-in-law.  You know that bro.”

“I do.  And I appreciate it.  I’ve got to figure out what I’m doing myself.  Whether I am headed to the house shows tomorrow or not.  I guess I should call Shane.  If it looks like Kayla is going to be discharged tomorrow, Mel and I will probably head out.”

“Will you be okay with having people to watch after Amelia while you work out and wrestle?” Anna asked.

“Yeah.  It shouldn’t be a problem.  Bryan, Nikki, and Nattie will all be around and Mel knows them all.  I would trust Becky with her too.  I think I will have plenty of help.  I’ll be sure to let Shane know about the situation though when I talk to him.  I think it will be fine,” Jon answered.

“What you should be worried about is how you’re ever gonna manage to get all of Amelia’s things from place to place,” I said, teasing Jon a bit.  “You can barely remember to pack your own things without someone else’s supervision.”

“I’d like to disagree with you, but I don’t really have a leg to stand on there.  I guess I’ll just have to figure out how to be more organized.”

“How do you plan to do that?” I challenged.

“I’ll just…make a list!” Jon said proudly.

“A list of what?” Ally asked, coming into the lounge with a few bags worth of subs.

“Of all the stuff I need to pack – for me and Mel,” Jon explained.

“Ah, but will you remember where you put the list?” Ally asked, immediately joining in on my taunting.

“Come on guys.  I’m not helpless.  I can remember things,” Jon argued.

“Oh yeah, where’s your I-Pad” I asked.

“Ha, trick question,” Jon responded smugly.  “I don’t have an I-Pad!”

“And why don’t you have an I-Pad?” Ally questioned, as the smug look dropped away from Jon’s face.

“Because I lost it,” Jon admitted sheepishly.

“And why didn’t you get another one?” I prompted.

“Because it was the third one I lost, and Kayla said I couldn’t get any more,” Jon sighed.  “Oh my God guys, you’re right!  How am I going to do this?” he asked in a panic.

“Woah buddy, we were just teasing you.  You know it’s what we do.  But you’re going to be just fine,” I reassured, feeling bad that I had even started this line of thinking.

“How do you figure?  I do forget things all the time.  Kayla always made sure we had everything,” Jon said, looking a bit panic stricken.

“Relax Jon.  It will be fine.  One, I will help you make a checklist of all the stuff you need to be sure and have every time you pack.  Maybe a separate list for the diaper bag.  We’ll put it in your phone.  And two, what’s the worst that can happen?  You forget the diapers or bottles?  So you buy more.  As long as you don’t forget your daughter, which even you have to admit would never happen, you’ll be good to go.  So, don’t worry.  You can do this.  And your friends will help you.  Bottom line, we all know you will do an amazing job taking care of Amelia, and that’s all that really matters,” Ally asserted.

“Thanks Ally.  I guess I forgive you for the harassment.  But you, Joe, you still have to find a way to make it up to me,” Jon said with a smirk.

_I felt relieved that our teasing hadn’t done too much damage and that my friend had his signature smirk back.  He was going to be okay._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please feel free to leave Kudos and/or comments. They are greatly appreciated.


	27. Chapter 27

** Chapter 27 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_Five days later, Mel and I were back home in Las Vegas and I had yet to forget a single item in our travels, thank you very much.  Sure, Nikki and Bryan had to remind me about using the list as we traveled between the first few house shows, but before we went to Smackdown and then when we left for home, I had remembered everything all on my own.  Okay, so maybe that isn’t something that a grown man should brag about, but I considered it a win.  Mel seemed to be doing okay too.  My friends had been great helping to take care of her.  Even AJ had helped me out once or twice – he’s got four kids of his own, so he knows the drill.  You’d never believe that the two of us could help each other out with the way our characters hate one another, but we had always gotten along.   Not that we were close friends, but we both respected each other’s work in the Indies on our path to the WWE.  And I have loved our matches together – even though I inevitably lose.  He is so talented that it really challenged me to perform at my absolute best, and I was proud of the matches we had put on together.  Just as my mind started to flash though some of our matches together, I heard Mel crying through the baby monitor and got up to go get her.  She was obviously up from her afternoon nap.  As I went upstairs and entered her room, Mel’s cries quieted.  When I got close to her crib, she looked up at me and reached her arms up.  She had just started doing that recently, and it still got me every time._

“Hey there Sweetpea.  Did you have a good nap?  Daddy was beyond bored while you were sleeping.  I was forced to entertain myself with my own thoughts – and that’s always a dangerous prospect,” I told her as she grinned back at me.  “I’m gonna guess you are in need of a diaper change and a bottle too.  Let’s start with the diaper change kiddo.  I know it’s not your favorite thing, but trust me, you’ll thank me when I’m done.  No offense Sweetpea, but you stink.  That can’t be pleasant to lay around in.  Don’t worry, I’ll do it as quickly as possible,” I reassured as I handed her a rattle to play with as a distraction.

_Just as I was finishing up, I thought I heard my front door open and close.  I had a brief moment of hope that Kayla had changed her mind before realizing that that was probably being overly optimistic.  That thought led me to feel a bit of sadness, followed by a moment of alarm before I heard a familiar voice calling out to me._

“Honey, I’m home,” the voice yelled.

_Colby.  He hadn’t said a word about coming to Vegas, but I guess that’s what I get for having told him where the spare key was._

“We’re up in Mel’s room,” I returned as I leaned down to blow some raspberries on Mel’s tummy, making her giggle with delight before I got her dressed again.

_I could hear Colby on his way up the stairs._

“You just missed a messy diaper change.”

“Perfect time, as always,” he responded smugly.

“What are you doing here man?” I wondered aloud.

“What about an I’m glad you’re here or it’s good to see you Colby?  Where’s the love man?”

“It’s always good to see you Colby, I just didn’t know you were coming.”

“Right.  Did I forget to call and say I was coming?  Oh well, here I am.  I couldn’t let my two, favorite people enjoy themselves without me now could I?”

“Right, so it wasn’t because you were worried about us?” I asked skeptically.

“Worried, Jon please.  I know you can take care of yourself and Mel.  I just don’t like missing out on the fun.  You know I can’t stand to be left out of the loop on anything.”

“Okay, I’ll pretend I believe you.  Thanks though, it will be nice to have the company.  The house felt so quiet and empty while Mel was sleeping.  I was just about to give her a bottle if you want to head downstairs to the kitchen.  I’ll even let you feed her.”

“Really?  I would love to.  I am her favorite uncle after all,” Colby boasted.

“Yeah, you’re going to have to duke it out with Joe for that title.  But I’ll leave that to the two of you.”

“Please, we all know I would win, hands down,” he replied.

“Always so humble Colby.  Can I get you anything while I heat up Mel’s bottle?  How long are you here for anyway?” I questioned.

“I’ll take a soda or something, and I figured I would stay a couple of days and then head out Friday for my house show.”

“Sounds good.  Mel and I are happy to have you, aren’t we Sweetpea?” I asked as I made silly faces down at my daughter.

_She responded with a giggle and then started babbling back at me._

“See, she’s happy I’m here.  That response was clearly meant to convey how happy she is to see her Uncle Colby,” he bragged.

“If you say so man,” I responded, handing Colby a soda and heating up Mel’s bottle after measuring out the formula.

_I swayed around a bit with Mel and started humming when I noticed she was getting a bit on the restless side waiting for her bottle._

“Oh man, you’re not going to sing are you?” Colby asked, looking alarmed.

“Don’t worry, I won’t pierce your eardrums.  I am just trying to keep her distracted until her bottle is ready,” I explained as Mel and I twirled a bit in the kitchen.

_She let out a laugh and waved her arms.  As we came to a stop, I noticed Colby just kind of staring at us, looking pensive._

“What’s up Colby, you okay man?” I asked as I started to bounce Mel up and down in my arms.

“I’m good,” he responded unconvincingly.

“Then what was with the look?”

“What look?” he wanted to know.

“I don’t know, you were looking all thoughtful and serious.  Very un-Colby-like I might add.”

“Thanks.  But I was just thinking,” he answered evasively.

“About…Come on man, this is not the way our dynamic works.  I’m the introspective one and you always have to coax my thoughts out of me.  Not the other way around, so spill it.”

“It’s just, do you think I’d make a good dad?” Colby asked in a rush.

“What?  Where is this coming from?” I wondered.

“Just answer the question Jon.  Do you think I would make a good dad?” he persisted.

“Of course I do.  I think you would be a great dad,” I answered honestly, grabbing Mel’s bottle and testing it.

_When I was satisfied it wasn’t too hot, I handed it to Colby, who was sitting at the table.  Then I placed Mel in his arms.  She went happily and began eagerly drinking her bottle._

“See, you’re great with Mel.  Why would you even doubt you would be a great father?” I questioned, still confused about what had prompted the question.

“I don’t know.  I mean…I watch you with Mel and you are so amazing.  Just like Joe is with Joelle, and I guess I am just a little jealous you know.  You both have these beautiful daughters and these amazing wives, and I can’t even keep a girlfr…oh shit man.  I’m sorry.  I wasn’t thinking about what I was saying.  That was totally insensitive of me, with all you are going through with Kayla.”

“Relax Colby.  It’s okay.  I know what you’re getting at and I want that for you too.  I never dreamed I would have my own family someday.  And, despite the mess that my marriage is at the moment, I have no regrets and am nothing but grateful that I was wrong about not having a family.  Meeting Kayla and having Mel are the best things that ever happened to me.”

“Besides meeting me of course,” Colby quipped sarcastically.

“Of course, that goes without saying,” I returned with a smirk.  “But seriously, I know you’ll find what you’re looking for.  Just give it time.  It might happen when you least expect it.  We both know I wasn’t looking for it when I met Kayla.”

_My gut clenched a bit at the thought of Kayla staying with her parents and not remembering me.  Colby must have noticed because he hurried to apologize._

“Sorry Jon.  I am supposed to be here to cheer you up, not to make things worse,” he lamented, sincerity reflecting in his eyes.

“I thought you weren’t here to cheer me up, just to spend time with your two, favorite people,” I teased.

“Shut up Jon.  You know what I meant.  How are you doing with all of this, really?” he asked.

“It’s not easy.  I’m not gonna lie.  If I let myself think about it too much, I start to lose it a little.  It’s definitely not a problem I ever anticipated having.  I keep trying to tell myself to take it one step at a time.  And there is a part of me too that just wants to be really angry.  But then, there is no one in particular to be angry with, ya know?  So, I don’t know what to do with it all – the hurt, the anger, the fear.  It’s all swirling around in my head, right along with the gratefulness that at least Kayla’s okay.  Then there’s of course the love I still have for Kayla and the happiness I have with Mel.  It makes for an interesting kaleidoscope of feelings, that’s for sure,” I finished as Colby just stared back at me and raised a brow.

“What?” I asked.

“Nothing,” he answered.  “I am just having a hard time reconciling the man who would give Joe and I one to two word answers in FCW when we prodded you about your feelings, to the one who could explain and share what he is feeling so clearly and effectively.  It’s quite a contrast.”

“Well, I have you, Kayla, and Joe to blame for that,” I responded, noticing Mel had finished her bottle.  “You should burp her now, she’s finished eating,” I directed.  “Here, put this on your shoulder,” I said to Colby as I draped a cloth over him.

“Why, what’s she gonna do?” he asked, looking a bit concerned.

“Nothing man.  She just might spit up a little.  No big deal.  There you go, now pat her back gently.”

“Duh, I know that Jon,” Colby whined, as I put my hands up in surrender.

“Sorry, didn’t mean to insult your intelligence,” I said smirking.

“Well, you did,” he threw back, hiding a grin.  “So not to bring it up again, but have you heard from Kayla?”

“Yeah, actually.  She has called me everyday to see how Mel is doing.”

“Well, that’s good.  How have the conversations gone?”

“They’re okay.  We have mostly talked about Mel.  A little bit about what the doctors told her about her recovery.”

“What did they say anyway?”

“They want her out of action for at least six months.”

“Yikes.  I know how that is,” Colby lamented.

“I know you do.  It sounds like they want to do another CAT scan then to see if it is safe for her to go back in the ring or not.  So now she has that news to deal with too.”

“How is she handling it?”

“I’m not too sure, really.  She said she may look into a backstage role – maybe valet or something that doesn’t involve anything physical.  I don’t know.  It’s not like she really opened up to me about it.  I’m practically a stranger to her, ya know?”

“I can’t even imagine what that feels like for her, or for you.  All I can say is I know it will get better.  It will take time, but I believe that you guys will get through this.”

“I hope you’re right.  I don’t like thinking about the alternative.”

“What kind of storyline do you think they would put her in?” Colby asked in a not-so-subtle attempt to change the subject.

“I don’t know.  They may want to stick with where they were going before the injury.”

“That would put her in a storyline with you,” he responded.

“I know.  Ever since she showed up to distract you while I cashed in and took the title, they have been building towards a reunion between our characters.  All of her appearances up until her in-ring return last week were about earning back my trust since she ditched me for your sorry ass when the Shield split.”

“Hey, there is nothing wrong with my ass,” Colby complained as Mel started to fidget.

_She was probably a little bored just sitting in Colby’s lap.  Lord, please don’t let her have inherited my short attention span._

“Here, let me take Mel and we can move to the living room.  I think she wants a change of scenery.  Besides, she could use a little tummy time on the floor,” I explained as I scooped her into my arms.

“What the hell is tummy time?” Colby asked, looking confused.

“Watch your language Uncle Colby,” I admonished.  “You don’t want to corrupt her little ears.”

“Right.  Like she has never heard you swear,” he said mockingly.

“Actually, I have done pretty well in that area, believe it or not.”

“I find that hard to believe.  No offense man, but you tend to use swear words as a part of your regular, everyday vocabulary.”

“Well, I manage to no do it on the air, just like I don’t do it around Mel…anymore.”

“Anymore?  Ah hah, so you did do it to start with.  I knew it!” Colby exclaimed, looking smug.

“Okay, maybe it took me a few weeks to get used to it, but I am much better now.  Anyway, back to your question.  Tummy time is something babies need at this age to strengthen their muscles in order to get ready to be able to crawl.  Basically, it means I lay her down on her stomach and put some toys around her for her to reach for and grab.  It builds her trunk and ab muscles, as well as her arm and leg muscles,” I explained, setting Mel down on a blanket and sitting down next to her.

“Man, how do you know all this?” Colby asked incredulously.

“Kayla bought a lot of baby books and read a lot of them to me.  And I have been known to flip through some of them on occasion on my own.  I want to learn everything I can to be the best dad to Mel,” I admitted.

“Well, I don’t think you have to worry about that.  Like I said before, you are an amazing dad.  You never fail to impress me when I watch you with her.”

“Thanks Colby.  I appreciate that.  Now, can you hand me a few of the toys from that toy bin over there?”

“Sure, which ones?”

“It doesn’t matter.  Just give me a few of them.”

“Here ya go.  It looks like on rattle, some sort of plastic ring, and a miniature pillow.”

“Perfect, thanks.” I answered as I placed the toys just at the edge of Mel’s reach.

“Okay Mel, you have to work for it now.  What toy are you thinking of going for?” I asked as Mel pushed herself up a bit and looked at the toys.

“My money is on the rattle,” Colby suggested.

“Are we seriously betting on my daughter? I asked.

“I don’t know.  I’m just saying, that’s my pick,” Colby answered.

“In that case, you’re on.  I am betting on the pillow.  I know my baby girl,” I answered confidently.

“What should we bet?” Colby asked.

“Loser has to make dinner and do the dishes tonight,” I suggested.

“Done,” answered Colby.  “I got this,” he said as Mel started to reach for the rattle.

“Not so fast there Colby,” I said as Mel turned herself a bit and grabbed the pillow.

“Told you,” I bragged.  “That’s my girl Sweetpea.  Now Uncle Colby has to cook your Daddy dinner and clean it all up.  Thanks for helping me out.  Daddy won’t forget this.”

“Neither will Uncle Colby,” Colby said, address Mel.  “You let me down kid,” he teased.

“Yeah, you should never have made that bet.  If there is one thing I am an expert on, it’s my daughter.”

“I can’t argue with you there.  Is it okay for her to be chewing on that?” he asked as Mel put the pillow in her mouth.

“Yeah.  It’s fine.  I wouldn’t really put anything in front of her that she can’t chew, since almost everything ends up in her mouth these days.  Okay Mel, you did a really good job.  Now how about you come work on sitting in your Daddy’s lap.”

“You’re a slave driver Jon,” Colby teased.

“Hey, you could be looking at a future women’s champion right here.  I know she’s up for it,” I joked.

“Would you ever seriously want her to go into wrestling?” Colby asked.

“Honestly, only if it was something she really wanted to do.  I would of course worry about her safety, but I wouldn’t want to stop her from following her dreams.  But who knows what she will want to do when she grows up.  It seems so far away now, but everybody tells me the time will just fly by.  Isn’t that right Mel?  You’re almost half a year old already, huh Sweetpea?  How did that happen so quickly?  You’re already growing up fast on me,” I said as Mel grasped my fingers in her little fist as I bounced her in my lap.

“Well, I guess I will let you two have some father-daughter time.  I have to go scrounge around in the kitchen to see what I can make for dinner,” Colby lamented, still looking disappointed he had lost the bet.

“I can’t wait to see what you come up with.  And no ordering a pizza,” I yelled as he left the room.  “That would be cheating.”

“Don’t tell Uncle Colby I said this Mel, but Daddy is so lucky to have a friend like him.”

“I heard that,” Colby yelled.

“Great, now it will go straight to his head for sure Sweetpea.”

“I heard that too.”

“You were supposed to,” I laughed. 

_Yeah, Colby was a really great friend._


	28. Chapter 28

** Chapter 28 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

_So, it’s been four days since I left the hospital on Saturday, and I still feel just as overwhelmed and confused as ever.  My parents have been great though.  They haven’t pushed me on making any decisions or to talk when I don’t feel like it.  I know it is breaking their hearts to see Jon and I going through all of this.  I also know that they are praying that he and I can work things out, but they are careful not to make it sound like they are on his side – if there even are sides in a situation like this._

_It is just all so unbelievable.  I can’t get over the fact that, not only do I have a husband (who isn’t Randy), but I have a daughter too, neither of whom I remember anything about.  Add to that that I am out of wrestling for at least the next six months and I don’t even know where to begin with processing it all._

_For his part, Jon has been incredibly patient.  He gives me updates on Amelia when I call, but he doesn’t ask me questions I can’t answer or push me to talk.  He really does seem like a good man, and I like him, but I just don’t have the connection to him that we obviously once shared.  I am working to not feel too guilty about that, especially since Jon himself doesn’t want me to feel that way._

_So, I have just been trying to sort through all of these thoughts and feelings, without really making much progress.  I have also been reading through some of the options the doctor mentioned about treating amnesia.  He gave it to Jon too, but surprisingly, he hasn’t suggested I try any of it.  He just keeps saying that however I choose to proceed is fine with him.  I wish he wasn’t so accommodating.  Then maybe I wouldn’t feel so guilty for putting him through all this._

_I have also looked up some information on-line about amnesia, and there is a lot out there.  Although everything just talks about how the different possibilities may help, but nothing seems like a sure thing.  I have also read maybe more than I should have on-line about Jon.  I was just curious to find out more about the man I married.  And I have to say, some of what I found is a little alarming, and doesn’t really mesh with the man I met five days ago.  Especially the things he did and said back in his Jon Moxley days.  I saw some interview he did talking about how he had abused drugs and had to struggle to get his life back together.  That and the women and partying that seemed to be a big part of his life in his early 20s.  It was tough to sort out how much was real and how much was Jon Moxley the character._

_And speaking of Moxley, some of the matches he was in were horrifying.  I couldn’t believe it was the same laid back, mild mannered man I had met at the hospital.  I definitely had a lot of questions, but I didn’t feel comfortable bringing any of them up to Jon yet.  I mean, I hardly knew him, and the questions all seemed incredibly personal.  Ugh, this was so frustrating._

“What’s wrong sweetie?” my dad asked, as he sat down next to me on the couch.  “I mean, other than the obvious,” he clarified.  “It seems like something more specific is eating at you.”

“I’m not sure if it is something I can talk to you about,” I answered honestly.

“Honey, you know you can talk to me about anything,” he reassured.

“But this might be a bit awkward, and it’s kind of personal,” I evaded.

“Is this about Jon sweetie?”

“Yeah, how did you know?”

“Well, no matter how old you are, you are still my baby girl.  A father just knows these things.  And it only makes sense that you would have a lot of questions.”

“I do.  And I kinda went on-line and Googled him.”

“Well, that explains it.  So, you have questions about his past, right?”

“Yeah.  Although part of me feels like I am invading his privacy, just by asking.”

“Nonsense.  He’s your husband, and he never tried to hide anything from you.  Let me guess, this is about the drugs, the women, and the partying,” he asked casually.

_I felt shocked that he even knew about it, let alone could talk about it so openly._

“You know about that?” I asked incredulously.

“Of course, I know about that,” he responded calmly, unflappable as ever.

“How do you know?”

“He told us himself sweetheart.”

“Who’s us?”

“Your mother and I.”

“Mom knows too?” I asked, even more surprised with that revelation.

“We both do.  He came to us, shortly before he proposed to you.  He wanted to ask our permission to marry you.  We already loved him because we saw how happy he made you.  You had only been together six months, but it was like you had both finally found what you had always been looking for.  Anyway, he knew we would give him our blessing without hesitation, but he told us not to say yes until we heard everything he had to say.  That’s when he told us all about his past, from the horrible childhood, to the drugs and partying, to the women and that whole wild lifestyle.  He didn’t have to tell us any of that and we would never have been any the wiser.  He could have walked away with our stamp of approval, but instead, he said he thought we deserved to know the real him before we made our decision.”

“Wow.  So, what did you both say?”

“As you can imagine, we were a little bit overwhelmed, since the man he described didn’t seem to really exist anymore – at least, not that we could see.  So, I asked him if he ever planned to get involved with any of those things again.”

“And what did he say?”

“He said absolutely not.  In fact, he had given it all up well before the two of you even met.  The drugs he had stopped a few years before you met him, when he realized he was slowly killing himself.  The partying and the women he started to move away from too and decided he was completely done with that lifestyle when he got signed by WWE.  He said he knew it was his chance to become the person he had always wanted to be.  That was almost a year and a half before he met you.  He saw it as not only his big chance professionally, but as an opportunity to finally grow up and stop running away from his past by filling up his life with things that were only temporary fixes.”

“What do you mean by that?” I asked, intrigued by his story.

“Jon didn’t have a very good childhood.  I’m not sure we can even imagine what his day-to-day life was really like.  But his family was dirt poor and lived in public housing.  His dad abandoned them when Jon was only three, and his sister Ally was five.  Their mother was a heavy drinker and drug user, who had all sorts of men in and out of her life.  It sounds like, even from a young age, Jon and Ally were taking care of themselves, because their mom was rarely around.”

“That’s so sad.  And you’re right, I have a very hard time imagining what that would be like.  You and mom were always so loving and attentive.”

“Unfortunately, that’s not all there is to it.  Jon was pretty seriously abused by several of his mom’s boyfriends.  He didn’t say so, but I suspect he intervened a lot when they tried to get abusive with his mom or sister.  Regardless, it seems like that’s how things went for him until his sister left home.  That’s when Jon decided he had had enough and left to pursue wrestling at age 16.  He eventually dropped out of high school at 17, and worked selling popcorn, sweeping floors, and setting up the ring for a local wrestling program.  They wouldn’t let him wrestle until he turned 18, but he soaked it all in and waited for his 18th birthday.  I think once he finally found some success, he didn’t really know what to do with it, so he allowed himself to get swept up into the partying lifestyle.  He had also learned not to trust anyone or to let anyone in, so random women was a safe way to go.  Just like the drugs, drinking was a great way to forget.  I think he used both to try and fill up the empty spaces in his life.  Not that he doesn’t admit he made a lot of bad decisions.  But I don’t think he regrets it exactly either.”

“Why do you think that?”

“Well, while he knows he made some bad choices, those poor decisions were what finally made him figure out who he wanted to be – and it wasn’t the guy he had been in his early 20s.  Despite the fact that he admits he did a lot of things he shouldn’t have, he said he knows that it is part of what made him into who he is today.  In fact, it made him even more determined to never fall into any of those traps again, and he wanted our forgiveness, as well as our permission to marry you.”

“So, you obviously believed him.”

“We did.  Your mom and I had never seen someone look so sincere about anything.  And we told him that, while we appreciated his honesty, there was nothing to forgive.  Then we said that we already knew the person he really was, and that we loved him.  Finally, we said we would be honored for him to marry our daughter.”

“Seriously?  What did he do?”

“He seemed just as shocked as you are.  He just looked at us and blinked rapidly, trying to hold back tears, before he finally just let them go and hugged us both, saying that he loved us too and thanking us for giving our permission.  We’ve considered him our son ever since.”

“So, I had to have known all of this too.”

“Yes.  He told us he had talked to you about this the day you asked him out.  It was why he was holding back from asking you to be with him.  He didn’t think he was worthy of you, and he was scared to tell you how he felt.  You two were best friends and he didn’t want to lose your respect and friendship, even if you didn’t have feelings for him.  I do think you knew some of it though already, just not all of the specifics.  Like I said, he never tried to hide anything.”

“I obviously still chose to be with him,” I commented.

“You did.  His past didn’t matter to you.  You had fallen in love with the man he had become, and I don’t think you have ever regretted it.”

“There is one other thing.  Although it seems almost silly, given the nature of the rest of our conversation.  But there was something else I noticed when I was reading up on Jon.”

“What’s that sweetheart?”

“Well, like I said, given all of the circumstances, I know it isn’t the biggest issue, but I read that December 7th is Jon’s birthday.  Did anyone remember it?”

“Oh, wow.  You’re right.  We all completely forgot about it with everything that was going on.  Not that Jon would blame us.  He’s not a fan of his birthday anyway.  I am sure Colby and Ally remembered and said something.  Don’t think anyone else mentioned it.”

“Well, shit.  I feel really bad about it.  All he’s been through, and we forgot his birthday on top of it.”

“Well sweetheart, you were in a coma and have amnesia, so I think you are off the hook.  The rest of us should probably find a way to make it up to him though.”

“Thanks Dad.  I just can’t stand to hurt him more than I already have.”

“You know he doesn’t blame you.”

“I know, but I feel guilty none-the-less.  Anyway, do you think Jon will be upset that you told me all of this?”

“Sweetheart, I don’t think that man would ever be upset with you knowing the truth.  I know he would tell you himself if you asked.  He would do anything you asked of him,” he finished.

“Do you think I am being cruel to him, needing some time away to think about everything?”

“I don’t think you have a cruel bone in your body.  And I think, no I know, Jon would agree that you need to do whatever feels right to you.  No one is judging you.  Just because we are hurting for Jon, doesn’t mean we aren’t behind you 100%.  Wherever you go from here, your mom and I love you and just want you to be happy.”

“Thanks Daddy,” I said, giving him a hug as I shed a few tears.

“Daddy?  I haven’t heard you call me that in over a decade.  It’s alright my girl.  Everything is going to be okay.  And you can talk to your mom and I about this stuff any time.  And Jon too, if and when you are ready.  I do have to ask you something though.”

“Sure, what is it?” I asked as I pulled back from his embrace and dried my tears.

“Can I tell Jon that we talked?  Unless you want to tell him.”

“I don’t think I am ready to go there yet.  But you can tell him.  I feel like he deserves to know.”

“He won’t push you to talk about it.  Not unless you ask him.  I can promise you that.”

“You really have that much faith in him?”

“I do sweetheart.  I trust him, and I have faith in you both.”

_With that, he kissed the top of my head and left me alone in the room, with a whole lot to think about._


	29. Chapter 29

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for the Kudos. I am thrilled to be over 500 hits. It is greatly appreciated.

** Chapter 29 **

**_Derek’s POV_ **

“Do you think I did the right thing Anna?” I asked, after telling my wife about my conversation with Kayla.

“Of course you did Derek.  She asked, and Jon would have done the same thing if he were here.”

“Yes, but was it my information to share?  I mean, maybe it would have been better coming from him.”

“What is it you’re worried about dear?  Is it that Jon will be upset with you?”

“It’s not that.  I know Jon won’t hold it against me, and he has never been anything but up front and truthful with our daughter.”

“Then what’s still eating at you?” she asked.

“It’s just that…what if I made things worse between her and Jon?  It is already strained enough as it is.  I know I keep telling Kayla that whatever she decides is fine, as long as she is happy, but I just…I just,”

“You really want to see them end up back together, right?”

“Is it that obvious?  I’m trying not to let Kayla see it.”

“I know Derek, and I want that too, not just because I have come to love Jon, but because I truly believe he makes her happy and that they belong together.”

“I agree.  That’s why I am so worried about everything I told her,” I said, looking back on the conversation uncertainly.  “What if I scared her away from him?”

“Derek, you didn’t do anything but tell the truth.  She knew it all before and still chose to be with him.  She can do the same again.”

“Yeah, but that was when she already had feelings for him.  Now he is practically a stranger to her.”

“We just have to trust that she will sort it all out.  Besides, we didn’t raise her to be judgmental.  I am sure it will be fine.  We just have to let it all play out, no matter how hard it is to stand by and watch.  If, and hopefully when, they get back together, it will either be on Kayla’s terms or because she recovers her memory.  Until then, we can only be there for them both, and for our granddaughter.”

“Speaking of being there for them, Kayla said I could tell Jon we had spoken.  I was thinking of giving him a call.  It’s a good excuse to check on him too.”

“That’s a good idea.  I think I am going to see if Kayla wants to go out for an evening of mother/daughter shopping, and maybe some dinner.  I think she could use the distraction.”

“I think that is a great idea.  It’ll give me some privacy with Jon too,” I said with a chuckle.

“What are you laughing at dear?” Anna wanted to know.

“It’s just that, no matter how old our kids get, we still want to kiss it and make it better don’t we?  Even for Jon and Joe too?  I think especially for Jon since he doesn’t really have parents of his own to do that for him.”

“I know.  And I am glad we can be there for him too.”  

“You know, Kayla pointed out that we totally forgot Jon’s birthday.  She said she noticed it was December 7th when she was reading about him online.”

“Oh, Derek.  Our poor boy spent his birthday in the hospital, at our daughter’s side, willing her to wake up.  How could we have forgotten?”

“I think we were a little distracted.”

“Of course, but we will have to find a way to make it up to him.  Now, I’m headed to see if Kayla wants to go out with me.  I’ll give you a call or send you a text to let you know our plans.  Text me and let me know how things go with Jon.  Give him my love, and I’ll see you later,” she said as she gave me a quick kiss goodbye.

“I’ll see you sweetheart.  Have fun.”

_And now to call my son-in-law I thought as I fished my cell phone out of my pocket and pressed #6 for Jon.  It rang a few times before I heard a voice that didn’t sound like Jon’s pick up._

“Hello?”

“Uh, hi.  Is this Jon’s phone?” I stammered, a little confused.

“Oh yeah.  Sorry Derek.  This is Colby.  Jon is upstairs changing Mel’s diaper and he asked me to answer the phone for him when I told him it was ringing,” Colby explained.  “I could see it was you on the caller ID, but I didn’t think through that you wouldn’t know who I was.”

“It’s no problem Colby.  I was just confused for a second.  Is everything okay there?”

“Oh yeah.  I just decided to come visit for a couple of days.  I knew being in the house without Kayla would be hard on Jon.  He’s doing okay though.”

“You are a great friend to my son-in-law Colby, and I can’t tell you how much I appreciate it, especially now.” I said, meaning every word.

“Well, I appreciate how you treat Jon like a son.  He has waited to feel like that all of his life.  But enough of that, is everything okay there?  Is something wrong?”

“What?  No, no, nothing’s wrong.  I just wanted to talk to Jon for a bit.  I can call back later.”

“Actually, I think I hear him coming down the stairs right now.  I will hand you over to him.”

“Nice talking with you Colby.”

“You too Derek, here’s Jon. – It’s your father-in-law.  Here, let me take Mel,” I heard Colby whisper to Jon, none-to-quietly.

“Dad?  What’s up?  Is everything okay?” Jon asked as he came on the line.

“Everything is fine son.  But, actually, I am calling to apologize.”

“Apologize, for what?”

“For completely forgetting your birthday son.  It totally slipped our minds.”

“Don’t be silly.  No apology necessary Dad.  We all had a lot on our minds and you know I don’t care about celebrating it anyway.  Besides, Colby gave me a cupcake and Ally wished me a happy birthday.  That was enough for me – about all the celebrating I could handle at the time anyway.  I was just worried about Kayla.”

“Still, Mom and I feel awful about it.  We’d like to make it up to you.”

“I appreciate that, but there’s no need.”

“Okay, I’ll let it go for now.  So, how’s everything there?  It seems you have a bit of company.”

“Yeah, Colby just showed up a couple of hours ago.  I think he’s here to watch me and make sure I don’t fall apart, and that Mel remains in one piece,” he said laughing good-naturedly.

“Oh, I think he’s just there because he cares about his best friend,” I suggested.

“You may be onto something,” Jon admitted.

“How are you doing son?”

“Okay, I guess.  It’s really weird to be at the house without Kayla.  I miss her.”

“I know you do.  Actually, she is what I wanted to talk to you about,” I began.

“Sure, what is it?”

“I just wanted to let you know that she was asking a lot of questions about you.”

“I guess that makes sense.  What kind of questions?” Jon wondered.

“It seems she spent some time Googling you,” I explained.

“Ah, crap.  That can’t be good.  I think I can guess what her questions were about.  What did you say to her?” Jon asked, sounding apprehensive.

“I told her the truth, just like you told it to us.  I hope I didn’t over-step, but it was obvious she had lots of partial truths and a lot of confusion after the things she read and saw.  I suggested she talk to you about it, but she said she didn’t really feel comfortable doing that yet.  So, I decided to answer her questions for her.  I hope that’s alright.”

“Of course it’s alright.  You know I have never tried to hide anything from her, and I don’t want to start now.  I just hope she isn’t too freaked out about it, regardless of how she found out.”

“That’s the other reason why I told her.  I wanted her to have the whole picture and hear it more from your perspective, at least as I understood it, from what you have shared with us.”

“How did she take it?”

“I think it was a lot for her to process, especially since it was hard for her to assimilate all of the parts of your past with the man she met last week.  But I don’t think she was freaked out, just curious and contemplative.”

“Well, I guess that’s not too bad.  At least she didn’t write me off altogether.  Does she know you’re talking to me about it?  I figure you probably wouldn’t be unless she said it was okay.”

“Yes, she knows.  She said it was okay for me to tell you, even though she isn’t ready to talk to you about it herself.  She feels like it is too personal to ask you about.  In fact, she felt guilty for invading your privacy.”

“That’s crazy.  She’s my wife.  Even if we’re not together, I would never feel that way about her wanting to know more about me.”

“Sure, I know that about you son, but Kayla’s just getting to know you again.  I told her you would wait for her to bring it up before talking to her about it.”

“Of course.  I’m trying not to push her on anything.”

“I know you are son, and you are doing an admirable job of it.  You should know that she asked if I trust you, and I said that Mom and I both do, without question.  I think she took that to heart.”

“Thanks Dad.  I appreciate it.  I know this must be hard for you – feeling torn about what to say and do.  Whatever you need to do to be there for Kayla, I am totally okay with, even if it doesn’t paint me in the best light.”

“I don’t think I have a bad word to say about you son, and I really think you came out of it looking okay.  At least better off than it looked just reading on the internet.”

“Thanks.  I know she trusts your judgment, and I can’t tell you how much it means to know I have your approval.”

“You have always had it, son,” I said, clearing my throat as my emotions started getting the best of me.  “Now tell me about my granddaughter.  How is she doing?”

“Mel’s good,” Jon replied, jumping on the change of subject, especially when it was changed to his favorite thing to talk about.  “Colby’s playing with her right now.  I think it helps to be in her own home.  Being on the road, especially without her mom, wasn’t easy.  But she’s a trooper and our friends have been great with her.”

“Well, she’s tough.  She takes after both of her parents in that regard,” I said with a smile.

“Yeah, she’s gonna give us a run for our money when she gets older, I think,” Jon laughed.  “All of her mom’s determination, and all of her dad’s impulsiveness.  Should be interesting.”

“She is going to be well loved, that much I can say for certain.  So, I think she will turn out just fine.  Giver her a hug and kiss from her Papa.”

“I will.  Say hi to Mom and Kayla for me.  Thanks for calling, and for everything you said to Kayla.  I appreciate it.”

“I know you do son.  I’ll talk with you again soon.  You hang in there.”

“I will.  I love you.”

“I love you too,” I said just before hanging up.

_I think that went pretty well.  I know the poor boy is hurting, but it seems like he is holding things together.  I am glad he has a friend like Colby I thought as I sent a quick text off to Anna, letting her know that Jon said hi and that our conversation went well.  Now, what to do with the house to myself for a couple of hours?  I think there is a recliner and a bottle of beer with my name on it._


	30. Chapter 30

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is a shorter chapter, but we get to see and hear Colby's POV for a bit. As always, comments and Kudos are welcome.

** Chapter 30 **

**_Colby’s POV_ **

_Mel and I were sitting on the floor together when Jon finished up his phone call and came looking for us.  She was in my lap and we were playing with her rattle.  She seemed to like the contrast of the loud noise, followed by silence, as I continued to vacillate between the two._

“Hey there sweetpea.  Have you exhausted your Uncle Colby yet?” Jon asked as he took a seat on the floor next to us.  Mel looked at him and smiled that open mouthed smile she has.

“Hey now, it takes more than playing with a six-month-old for a little while to wear out Colby Lopez,” I said indignantly.

“Of course, how silly of me.  Actually, it might be the other way around.  It is getting close to Mel’s bedtime.”

“Aww, but we were having fun,” I complained.

“I know, and you can have more fun tomorrow.  In fact, I will probably have you watch Mel while I go down and work out in the basement tomorrow morning, so rest up tonight.”

“I’ll be ready Jon.  You can count on me,” I said, giving him a mock salute.

“You’re such a goof Colby,” Jon said laughing. 

_It was nice to hear, even if I had to act a little ridiculous to get him to do it.  I know people like Derek think I am being a great friend by showing up at the hospital right away and coming here to Vegas, and I do want to be here for Jon, but the truth is, I need him to be okay – not only for him, but for me too.  He is my best friend in the world and about the only person who really gets me.  Not even Joe understands me the way he does.  Joe and I are close, sure, but sometimes I get the impression that I drive him up a wall.  And even though Jon will joke with me about how weird or annoying I am, I know that really, he likes having me around.  And as much as I know he gets me, I get him too.  Yeah, we can bicker a lot, but there is an inherent understanding between us that we will always have each other’s back._

_The other thing is that Jon has made sure that he and I remained close, even after he and Kayla got together.  That is where there is another big difference between him and Joe.  Joe is a great friend, but sometimes I feel like his attention is so divided between his friends and his family.  Not that there is anything wrong with that.  And it’s not like Jon isn’t devoted to his family too, because he absolutely is, but he has never not answered one of my phone calls, or at least gotten back to me right away.  Maybe it’s because he never really had that many close friends, so he places a premium on the ones he does have.  Whatever the reason, I appreciate him just as much as I know he appreciates me.  So, as much as I would like to be completely altruistic in my motives, like I said, I need my friend to be okay.  Because if he’s not okay, I’m not okay.  Perhaps that sounds a bit co-dependent, but that’s just too bad.  I wouldn’t change it._

“Hey, earth to Colby,” Jon said, waving his hand in front of my face.  “You okay man?”

“Sorry, yeah.  Just spaced out for a second.”

“It’s okay.  Glad to see someone else do that besides me,” Jon quipped.  “But I do think I am going to take Mel and put her to bed.  I’ll be back down after I feed her a bottle and put her down for the night.”

“Sure.  Goodnight Mel.  Your favorite uncle loves you,” I said as Jon just smiled and shook his head.

“You are a piece of work Colby,” he said with a chuckle.

“I am going to take that as a compliment Jon.”

“I knew you would,” he answered with a grin.  “Say goodnight to your crazy Uncle Colby sweetpea.  It’s time for bed,” Jon explained to his daughter as he carried her up the stairs.

_Yep, nobody gets me like he does._


	31. Chapter 31

** Chapter 31 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

“Sleep tight Mel, Mommy and Daddy love you,” I whispered as I laid her down in her crib.

_I know her mom’s not here right now, but I decided it was important for her to keep hearing that, even when she was half asleep.  Then I switched on the baby monitor before making my way back downstairs to Colby.  I found him in the living room, setting up the Play Station with WWE 2K16.  Obviously, we were in for an evening of friendly competition._

“You eager to get your ass kicked Lopez?” I taunted.

“In your dreams Good.  You know I own you at this,” Colby responded.

“That’s awfully big talk Lopez.  Care to make it interesting?”

“You’re on Good.  Same deal as today for dinner tomorrow.  This time, you’re going down,” Colby bragged.

“We’ll just see about that,” I responded as we began playing what turned into a three-hour marathon of wrestling matches.

_It was neck and neck right up until the end when Colby pulled ahead.  I hated looking at the smug look on his face.  More than that, I hated having to admit that he won.  But, fair is fair, and a bet’s a bet._

“Okay Colby, you got me.  Dinner is on me tomorrow.”

“No ordering out,” Colby reminded me.  “I am expecting a homecooked meal, just like you got.  I know you can actually cook, so no worming your way out of it.”

“I wouldn’t dream of it man,” I said with a smile.

“Well, good.  I’m glad that’s settled.  Now I think it is past my bedtime,” Colby mumbled.

“Yeah, me too.  I haven’t stayed up this late when I wasn’t working since before Mel was born.  She is an early riser, so I have gotten used to an earlier bedtime.  Still though, I had a lot of fun.  Thanks Colby,” I offered.

“You’re welcome.  Besides, I get a free dinner out of it,” Colby reminded me.

“You remember where everything is in the guest bedroom, right?  And the bathroom next to it should be all set for you,” I explained.

“Of course I remember Jon. How many times have I stayed here?  I’ll be fine, and I’ll see you in the morning.  Get some rest and don’t let your thoughts go all crazy on you.  Just contemplate the four-course meal you are going to prepare for me.”

“Yeah, right.  You’ll be lucky if you get two courses – if I can whip up a desert or something.  Figures you would try and milk it for more though,” I responded, teasing him right back.

“Whatever Ambrose.  Goodnight man.”

“Night Rollins,” I answered with a smirk.

_I don’t know why, but whenever we were starting to bicker, we often began referring to each other by our ring names.  Maybe because our characters were still at odds.  I don’t know, but it been that way for years.  I couldn’t help but smile as I headed off to bed.  This day had gone so much better than I thought it would.  I still missed Kayla, but having Colby here really helped.  I’m not sure how I can repay him for how much he has been there for me in the past week, but I guess I will start by coming up with a kick-ass meal for tomorrow.  But I will worry about that in the morning.  For now, I am beyond exhausted, and I am pretty sure I fell asleep almost as soon as my head hit the pillow._


	32. Chapter 32

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I am going to try and publish at least once a week now. Hope you enjoy this chapter.

** Chapter 32 **

**_Colby’s POV_ **

“Say that again Jon, I’m not sure I heard you correctly,” I said into the phone as I walked into the arena, getting ready for RAW the following Monday.

“I said, everyone is being too nice to me.  It’s weirding me out.  I mean, I kind of expected it last week after everything happened with Kayla, but they are still doing it man,” Jon complained, sounding totally exasperated.

“Still doing what?” I asked, feeling more than a little confused.  “I’m sorry, I am just trying to understand,” I added.

“Still being all super sweet and friendly.  Even people I’m not really close with are going out of their way to say something nice to me.  You know I get uncomfortable with compliments and shit, especially from people I’m not really friends with.  Honestly man, I’m not sure how much more of their sympathy and kindness I can take.  And the people who usually joke around with me, and give a hard time, like Mike and Nick, have stopped doing it.  Instead they are being all mushy and supportive and it is about to push me over the edge.  It’s like they don’t think I can handle the teasing or something.  I appreciate that they care, but I’m not that fragile.  And then there are my closest friends, who seem like they aren’t sure what to say to me.  It’s like they either feel they should be giving me advice and reassurance, or they avoid the topic of Kayla altogether.  I know they all mean well, and that this is an awkward situation, but I just want everyone to go back to how they would normally treat me, ya know?”

“Yeah, I get that.  Not everyone finds it as easy to harass you as I do though.  They seem to think a bit more tact is in order.  Crazy people.”

“Exactly.  I’m not going to break – at least I don’t think I am.  And you should know I very much appreciate your tactless self.”

“I know.  Otherwise you probably wouldn’t be able to stand me.”

“Hey, you said it, not me,” Jon laughed.

“So, have you told them any of this?”

“No, I don’t really know what to say.    Something like, ‘Stop being so freaking nice and supportive.’  I am not sure how that would come across.  I don’t want to seem ungrateful.”

“Sorry man.  I wish I could help.  If I was there I’d knock their heads together for you.”

“I know you would.  And thank you.”

“You’re welcome bro.  Sorry man, but I’m going to have to go.  I’m needed in a meeting in a few minutes.”

“Sure man.  I understand.  Good luck on RAW tonight.  And thanks for listening.”

“Any time Jon.  You know that.  Now kiss that beautiful baby girl for me and tell her that her favorite uncle said hi.”

“I’ll be sure to let her know Joe says hello,” he teased.

“Ouch man.  That hurts.  Why you always gotta get smart with me Ambrose?”

“Don’t know Rollins.  You just make it so easy, I guess,” Jon laughed into the phone.

“At least you’re laughing, even if it is at my expense,” I lamented.

“You know I love you Colby,” Jon said, sounding serious all of a sudden.

“I know.  I love you too man.  Now I really gotta go.  I’ll call you later.”

“Sounds good.  See ya,” Jon said as I heard him hang up.

_Now to make one more phone call before I head to that meeting.  It wasn’t actually for another thirty minutes, and I had to make this phone call first._

“Hello?”

“Hey Bryan, it’s Colby.”

“What’s up Colby?  What can I do for you?” Bryan asked, sounding surprised to hear from me.

“Well, this is going to sound like a strange request, but I need you to tell the Smackdown roster to stop being so nice to Jon.  It is starting to freak him out a little.”

“You’re right, that does sound a little strange.  What do you mean exactly?”

“Well, I just got off the phone with him and he said that he just wants everyone to go back to treating him the same way they always do.  Not like they are trying extra hard to be supportive or friendly.  You know, like tell Mike and Nick to start giving him shit again, how they usually do.  Something about his ridiculous hair, or that growth on his face he calls a beard.  Basically, just go back to acting normal around him.  He says he feels like people think his is going to break at any moment and it’s making him really uncomfortable.”

“I guess that makes sense.  I hadn’t really thought about it that way.  I am sure he would just like to move on and focus on the wrestling, not everything that’s going on for him in his personal life.”

“Exactly.”

“Why didn’t he just say something to us?”

“You know Jon.  He doesn’t want to seem ungrateful.  It’s like he went from not giving a damn about what anyone thought years ago, to worrying a bit too much about everybody else.  I think he has yet to find a happy medium.”

“Well, I can certainly talk to the Superstars.  And I will ask Nikki to pass the word along in the women’s locker room.”

“Actually, that would be good to involve Nikki.  You could also ask her to help put something small together for Jon’s birthday.  It was almost two weeks ago now.”

“Ah man, we all totally forgot about it, with everything that went on.  Do you think he wants us to do anything?”

“Honestly, no.  But I still think it would be good for him.  Just a small gathering, maybe a cake before Smackdown.  Nothing too crazy or it will overwhelm him.  I just think it would be a good way to show him that things are back to normal.”

“Sounds good to me.  Thanks for calling Colby.  I’ll take care of it.”

“Thanks Bryan.  I appreciate it.”

“Hey, it’s the least we can do.  Take care Colby.”

“You too.  Thanks again.”

_Okay, now that my best friend duties are taken care of, I really do have to get to that meeting._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments and Kudos welcome and appreciated.


	33. Chapter 33

** Chapter 33 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_Mel and I were currently on a flight to Florida to see Kayla at her parent’s house.  We had left right after Smackdown and boarded the plane.  Mel was sound asleep in my lap, seemingly without a care in the world.  I, on the other hand, was a raw bundle of nerves.  I had no idea what Kayla wanted to say to me, but she had called me yesterday shortly after I hung up with Colby._

_Speaking of Colby, he had clearly been busy after he talked to me, because it was obvious someone had talked to my friends on Smackdown.  They all went back to treating me the same way they always have.  They even did a little belated birthday party for me.  I couldn’t have felt more relieved, not to mention grateful for Colby’s obvious intervention._

_I was much less comfortable with my thoughts about Kayla however.  All she had told me was that she had made some decisions and she thought we should talk about them in person.  I had hoped that maybe she would join Mel and I at home in Vegas, even just for a visit.  But I knew that was rushing things.  I was happy to go to her.  And I always enjoyed seeing her parents._

_What I couldn’t stop thinking about was what decisions she might have come to.  She didn’t really give anything away on the phone, but of course my mind was busy spinning different scenarios.  Had she decided she wanted Mel to stay with her?  What about coming back to Smackdown?  Or was this about things between us – not that there really was an “us” anymore, but I was trying to remain hopeful that there could be again someday.  Regardless of what she had to say, I needed to be prepared to react positively.  I want Kayla to know I support her decisions, whatever they are._

_I suppose she could want to talk to me about my past.  She hasn’t brought it up at all when she has called to see how Mel is doing.  Obviously, Mel couldn’t talk to her on the phone, but it meant a lot to me that she wanted to check in on her regularly.  Anyway, she hadn’t said anything about what Derek told her and I was keeping my promise not to bring it up._

_At this point, I’m not even certain what I am hoping to hear.  Of course, I would love for her to tell me that she has all of her memories back and wants us to be a family, but something tells me she would have just told me that straight away.  Other than that, I don’t really know what scenario would be best for all of us.  Obviously, it would be better for Mel to have both of her parents around her, but without us being together, I am not sure how that’s possible._

_All I know is that having all of these thoughts swirling around in my head since I talked to Kayla yesterday has been exhausting.  I didn’t sleep well last night, and I know I didn’t have my best focus at Smackdown.  One thing’s for sure, I am going to crash pretty hard when I finally do sleep.  I am not sure when that will be though, because I don’t see myself getting much rest until I speak with Kayla, and that might not happen until tomorrow morning.  She could be sound asleep when Mel and I get in for all I know, especially since it will be almost three in the morning.  I guess I’ll find out soon._


	34. Chapter 34

** Chapter 34 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

_I woke up with a start when I heard the front door open and close quietly.  Jon obviously knows where my parents keep the spare key and let himself in.  Sitting up on the couch and stretching, I prepared to go meet him.  I was both nervous to see Jon and excited to see my daughter.  I might not remember her, but I was looking forward to spending some time getting to know her again.  I couldn’t help but smile as I saw Jon cradling a sleeping Amelia in one arm, while trying to carry all of their bags in the other._

“Hey Jon.  Can I help you carry any of that?”

“Hi, sorry.  Didn’t mean to keep you up.  And yeah, I could use some help with the diaper bag.  It keeps falling off my shoulder.”

“Of course.  And don’t worry about it.  I was sleeping on the couch until I heard you come in.  I wanted to see you both when you got here, even though I figured Amelia would be sleeping.”

“Want to switch with me?  You can take Mel and I’ll take the bag back,” Jon offered.

“I’ll see her in a minute.  Let’s get this stuff upstairs first,” I suggested.

“Which room are we headed to?” he asked.

“The one you usually stay in when we visit – the crib is still in there.  I have been crashing in my old bedroom since I got here.”

“Sounds good.  I take it your parents are asleep?”

“Yeah, they went to bed hours ago, but they said to tell you welcome home.”

“They have always been so great to me.  I consider myself lucky to have them.”

“Well, from what I gather, they’re pretty fond of you too.  Here we are.  I’ll just flip the light on for us.  Where do you want the diaper bag?”

“Just near the bed on the floor is fine.  I think I may actually need to give Mel a quick diaper change before putting her in her crib.  She feels pretty wet to me.”

“Won’t she wake up?” I asked, feeling like maybe that wasn’t a good idea.

“Maybe for a minute, but she’ll conk right back out.  She sleeps through the night pretty well now,” Jon explained as I tried not to feel inadequate with everything I didn’t know about our daughter.

_Jon must have noticed my discomfort because he offered me words of reassurance._

“Don’t worry, you’ll learn all about this stuff pretty quickly, just by spending time with her.  I promise,” he offered, as he began changing Amelia’s diaper after laying her down on the bed.

“I know, I just feel like I have missed so much, even though I know I was there for it.”

“That’s got to be exasperating,” Jon sympathized.

“It is.  But I’m trying to accept it and just focus on where I go from here.”

“Well, whatever you want to do next is fine with me.  I will fully support anything you decide,” Jon encouraged as he finished putting a new diaper on our daughter and put on her pajamas over her onesie.

“You don’t even know what I have decided yet.  How could you be okay with it?” I asked, feeling genuinely confused.

“Because I trust your judgment,” he responded simply.

“Thanks Jon.  I appreciate that,” I answered, a little taken aback by his faith in me.  “Anyway, we can talk more tomorrow, but I thought I would at least give you the big picture of what I was thinking.  I don’t want you to have to lie awake wondering about it.”

“How did you know I would do that?” Jon asked curiously.

“I was talking with Joe and Galina and telling them that I asked you to come here.  Joe suggested that you would be much better off if I at least shared some of what I wanted to say to you before heading to bed.  He seemed pretty sure of it.”

“Well, he’s right.  I don’t sleep well when I have too many questions in my head.  So, do you want to hold Mel for a little bit before we put her in her crib?  Then you can tell me what you have decided.”

“Sure, I’ll take her,” I answered as he gently placed her in my arms.  “You were right.  She’s still sound asleep.  Amazing how babies can do that.  Anyway, so I decided a couple of things.  The first is that I think I am going to accept the offer to remain a part of Smackdown in a non-wrestling capacity.  That will let me travel with you and Amelia and keep me relevant with the storylines.”

“That’s great.  I am happy for you and that they gave you that option.  I know Mel will love seeing you more too.”

“Yeah, I think it will be a good way for me to get to know her again.”

“Whatever you want.  We will make it work,” Jon promised.  “What’s the second thing?”

“The second thing is that, for now at least, on our off days, I think that I am going to come back to my parents.  At least until I feel like I know you and Amelia better.  I just don’t think I would feel comfortable staying with you in Las Vegas yet.  I hope you understand.”

“Kayla, of course I understand.  As much as Mel and I would both love to have you with us all the time, I understand that for all intents and purposes, you just met us both less than two weeks ago.  I think your decisions will let you have a good balance, where you can get to know us both better, but still have a place to come back to that feels comfortable and familiar.  It makes a lot of sense actually.”

“Thanks Jon.  I appreciate how accommodating you are being.”

“I told you, I will support whatever decisions you make.  I know you are just trying to get through this the best way you know how.  What about when you come here?  Do you want to bring Mel with you?  It’s okay if you do.”

“I don’t think so.  Not at first anyway.  Not until I feel like I really know what I’m doing with her and we can bond a little.  Then I would like to at some point, if that sounds okay.”

“Of course it is.  Kayla, you don’t need my permission to see Mel.  She is your daughter too.  You have every right to spend time with her.”

“I know I don’t need your permission, but I would like your approval.”

“Well, you have it.  I think is it a good plan and that it will be good for you and for Mel.”

“Thanks.  You have no idea how relieved I am to hear you say that.  I have been a nervous wreck about talking to you.”

“You and me both sweetheart,” Jon answered before looking panic stricken.  “Sorry, I didn’t mean to call you that.  It just came out – habit I guess.  Sorry,” he stammered.

“It’s okay Jon.  Don’t worry about it.  I’m not sure how anyone could expect you to completely bury all of your feelings.  They are bound to seep out here and there.  I know you are working really hard to make sure I feel comfortable and to not overwhelm me.  I mean, you even called up my ex-boyfriend and had him come to the hospital just to make me feel better.  I think I can look past your use of an endearment.”

“Thanks.  I really am sorry though.  I do want you to feel comfortable around me.”

“I do feel comfortable around you.  I just don’t know you very well yet.  But, hopefully we can talk more over the next couple of days and I can learn more about you.”

“Sure, if that’s what you want,” Jon said, looking a little uncertain.

“Relax Jon.  I know Dad told you that he talked to me about your past.  And, while I admit I do still have some questions, I haven’t decided to write you off or anything.  I just want to get to know you better, so don’t panic.”

“I’ll try not to.  And I will tell you anything you want to know.  But for now, I think we could both use a little bit of sleep,” Jon suggested.

“Agreed.  What’s the best way to put Amelia in her crib?”

“She’s still not rolling over on her own, so she needs to be on her back for now.”

“Good to know.  There you go Amelia.  Goodnight sweetie.  Mommy will see you in the morning.  Goodnight Jon.  Thanks for coming.”

“Goodnight Kayla.  Sleep tight,” Jon offered as I left his room and closed the door.

_I could hear Jon quietly talking to Amelia as I headed back to my room.  Probably saying goodnight to her too.  All things considered, I thought that went pretty well.  I finally felt a little bit of relief from some of the anxiety I had been having.  Jon was so agreeable to my decisions.  Everyone said he would be, but it was nice to hear him actually say it.  Now I can spend the next couple of days getting to know him and Amelia better.  I honestly felt a bit hopeful at the moment.  It felt good to at least have a plan of action I thought as I crawled into my bed exhausted from the day._


	35. Chapter 35

** Chapter 35 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_I woke up to the sounds of Mel fussing in her crib.  I looked at the clock as I rolled out of bed and saw that it was only 6:30.  I had only slept for about three hours, but at least I finally slept peacefully.  I wasn’t exactly well rested, but I felt somewhat refreshed, at least for the moment, I thought as I slipped into the bathroom for a minute across the hall before heading back in to grab Mel._

“Good morning sweetpea.  How did you sleep?” I asked as I scooped Mel out of her crib.  “I know you’re in a different place than where you fell asleep.  But it’s okay, we are at your Nana and Papa’s house.  You’ve been here before.  And your Mommy is here too.  She was so happy to see you last night.  You probably don’t remember, because you were sleeping, but I promise you it’s true,” I said smiling at my daughter, who was smiling right back up at me.  “I think you are going to be seeing your Mommy more, starting today.  Isn’t that great Mel?  I knew you would be excited,” I commented as Mel kicked her feet and started to babble.

_She was in a phase where she liked to say “ba” over and over again.  It was pretty adorable really, not that I’m biased._

“Alright sweetpea, let’s get you changed and dressed, and then we can find something for Daddy to wear since I don’t think you grandparents need me wandering around in just my boxers.  It might make your Mommy a bit uncomfortable too now that I think about it.  Don’t worry, we’ll be quick.  I know you are probably hungry.  If you can be patient a little bit longer, I promise to deliver the goods,” I explained as I tickled her belly after putting on a clean diaper.

_Mel let out a small giggle and kicked her feet towards me._

“Don’t worry, you don’t have to threaten me, I will keep my promise,” I teased.  “What would you like to wear today?  How about this very fashionable purple one-piece outfit with teddy bears on it?  That always makes a statement.  Do you approve?” I asked as Mel reached out for the shirt I was holding, clearly signaling her approval.  “Excellent choice my lady.  Now to dig out something for Daddy.  Do you think I should be bold and wear a new pair of blue jeans and my finest T-shirt?”

_Mel blew a bubble in response.  I didn’t know if that was a yes or a no, but I went with it.  I set Mel down in the middle of the bed as I tugged my clothes on and dug out my toothbrush.  Then I picked her back up and headed into the guest bathroom one more time to brush my teeth.  Mel seemed to be fascinated by what I was doing and “helped” by grabbing at my toothbrush.  It made the process a bit more of a challenge, but since when is Dean Ambrose not up for a challenge?  After a few minutes, I managed to finish up and left my toothbrush by the sink._

“Okay Mel, are you ready to head downstairs and get that bottle I promised?  Of course you are.  Silly question.  I just need one of your bottles and your formula and we will be off.  There we go.  Now, let’s head for the kitchen.  I am sure your Nana and Papa are already up.  Tough call on your mommy though.  She’s not really a morning person, but anything is possible,” I explained as Mel and I went down the stairs and entered the kitchen.  “Here you go sweetpea.  I know there are at least two people here who would love to hold you while I get your bottle ready.  Should we have them fight for it?  Rock, paper, scissors?  Arm wrestle?  What do you think?”

“Stop teasing Jonathan and just hand me my granddaughter,” Anna admonished.

“Uh-oh Mel.  She called me Jonathan.  I must be in big trouble.  Here you go Mom.  She’s all yours,” I said as I handed Mel over and gave Anna a quick kiss on the cheek.

“That’s better Jon.  Thank you.”

“Oh good.  I’m back to Jon.  I must be forgiven,” I joked, making Anna chuckle.

“Your Daddy is so silly Amelia.  But you already know that don’t you?”

“I have no doubt she is very well aware,” I answered as I started making Mel’s bottle.

“How are you son?  How was your flight?” Derek asked.

“I’m good.  The flight was long, but not bad.  I was really glad though to catch a few hours of sleep after we got here and went to bed.”

“That’s all you got was a few hours?” Anna asked, sounding concerned.

“Yeah, it’s okay though.  It was the best three hours I’ve had in a couple of days.”

“Well, you need to do better than that young man,” Anna scolded.

“Yes mam.  Sorry,” I responded sheepishly.

“Anna, leave the boy alone.  He’s had a lot on his mind lately.  Speaking of that, did you and Kayla have a few minutes to chat when you got here?  I know she was waiting up for you.”

“We did.  She woke up when we came in the front door.  I think it went pretty well.  She told me her plan to go back on the road with the Smackdown crew and then stay here on her days off, eventually having Mel join her sometimes.  It made sense to me.”

“Well good.  I know she was worried to talk to you about it,” Anna commented.

“Yeah, she told me.  I wish she could believe that I really am on her side and that I will support her no matter what she decides.”

“We know you will son.  But it will just take time for her to see that.  Just keep being patient,” Derek suggested.

“I know.  I’m trying.  So, who gets the honor of feeding my baby girl?” I asked when her bottle was ready.

“Here Jon, bring her to Derek.  He should get some cuddle time with her too,” Anna suggested.

“Not to worry Mom.  You will both have plenty of time with her over the next couple of days.  Come on Mel, let’s go over to your Papa.  There you go Dad.  I think she is more than ready to chow down,” I explained as I handed him the bottle.

_Boy she was such a little piggy.  You’d think I never fed her._

“Slow down there kid, you’re making me look bad – like you haven’t eaten in days.  I do feed her regularly.  I swear.”

“Don’t worry Jon, we believe you.  Her momma was a porker too.  Wasn’t she Derek?”

“She was indeed.  Not sure where she put it all.”

“Gal was much more relaxed and deliberate.  She wanted to eat, but she took her time about it.  Not Kayla though.  There was no slowing her down,” Anna added as I laughed, picturing my wife inhaling her food.

“Are you telling stories about me Mom?” Kayla asked as she came down the stairs and into the kitchen.

“They aren’t stories if they are true,” Anna responded.  “And good morning to you too sweetie.”

“Good morning Mom.  Morning Dad, Jon.”

“Morning,” we all answered in unison.

“And good morning to you Amelia.  I see your Daddy is not the only man you have wrapped around your finger,” Kayla teased. 

_I loved seeing her speak and joke with Mel so easily.  She already seemed more comfortable and natural with her already._

“I’m allowed.  I’m the grandfather.  Spoiling babies is in the actual rulebook for grandparents.  I don’t know what Jon’s excuse is,” Derek challenged.

“I don’t have one.  But I don’t deny it either,” I said with a smirk.

“So, Anna and I were hoping to continue spoiling our granddaughter by taking her for a walk in the stroller.  Maybe when she finishes eating?  It is plenty warm out today and we can always bring a blanket too.  Would that be okay with you two?”

“Fine with me,” Kayla answered.

“Me too.  I think she would like that.  She is really starting to notice her surroundings more, so I am sure she would enjoy looking around at the scenery.  Wouldn’t you sweetpea?” I asked as Mel kicked her feet in Derek’s lap.  “See, she is raring to go.”

“How do you do that Jon?” Kayla asked, looking like she was in awe of something.

“Do what?” I asked, not sure what she was talking about.

“With Amelia.  She almost always responds to your voice when you talk to her.  I haven’t seen her do it with anyone else,” Kayla explained.

“I don’t know.  I guess I just talk to her all the time, probably because I always have some thought or other in my head and I just say whatever it is to Mel.  She doesn’t judge me for my rambling.  But it’s not just with me.  I’ve seen her respond to your voice too.  I just talk her ear off, so she is probably the most familiar with my voice.”

“Don’t worry Jon.  I think it’s sweet.  I am glad you two are so close.  I just hope she and I can get that close again too.”

“I know you will.  You are the best mom I know – present company excluded of course,” I said, giving Anna a wink.

“Oh, now Jon, enough with your flattery,” Anna said, actually blushing a little.

“That’s it.  I am taking two of my favorite girls for a walk before this one does any more sweet-talking towards my wife.  Flashing those dimples, thinking you can get away with it.  Honestly son, you should be ashamed of yourself,” Derek admonished.

“Sorry sir.  I promise, I will try to behave myself.”

“See that you do,” Derek answered with his own smirk.  “We’ll see you two in a bit.  Come on Anna.  Let’s go get that blanket and grab the stroller out of the garage.  Say goodbye to your mommy and daddy Amelia.  You’ll see them again soon.”

“Bye sweetpea.  Have fun with Nana and Papa,” I said, waving at Mel who smiled back at me.

“See.  There it is again.  It’s like she answers you.”

“You try it.  I bet you she answers you too,” I encouraged.

“Bye Amelia.  Mommy will see you soon,” Kayla said, looking at Mel expectantly.

_Please kid, do this for your Mommy, I silently pleaded, feeling a wave of relief when Mel started kicking her feet in response.  Thank you Mel!_

“See, I told you,” I said proudly.

“Huh, what do you know?” Kayla mumbled, looking shocked but pleased.

“Alright, we’ll be back in a little while.  See you soon,” Anna called on her way out the door.

“Well, that wasn’t exactly subtle,” I observed.

“Yeah, not so much,” Kayla agreed.  “I guess we should make the most of the alone time they are obviously trying to give us.  Do you want to sit here at the table or head into the living room to talk?”

“I’m good here at the table, if you are.  Besides, I think there is a pot of coffee calling my name.  Want some?”

“That sounds heavenly.  Thank you.  I like it black, with..“

“With two sugars.  I know,” I said with a grin.

“Sorry.  I forgot you would already know that,” Kayla responded, seeming embarrassed.

“It’s okay.  That’s what this time is supposed to be about, right?  Getting to know more about each other.”

“Right.  So, um, I have some questions, if you don’t mind me asking.”

“I don’t mind.  I have nothing to hide from you.  I am going to assume this is about my past and the stuff you found online.”

“It is.  I am sorry if this is out of line or makes you uncomfortable.  You don’t have to talk about it.”

“Kayla, it’s okay.  I’d rather to able to answer your questions than have you draw your own conclusions.  So, ask me whatever you want.  I promise I will answer honestly.”

“Okay, so first question.  Did you intentionally provoke your mom’s boyfriends to protect her and your sister when you were a kid?”

“What?  That’s the first question you have?  I’m not sure I see how that relates to anything.  Where did you get that anyway?”

“My dad said he thinks that’s what happened, even though you wouldn’t say so.  And you promised to answer any question I asked truthfully.”

“I know, I just, I don’t see how that’s relevant to anything between us.  But I did promise, so I will answer you.  I would appreciate it if you don’t repeat this though.”

“I promise I won’t Jon.”

“Okay then.  Yes, I did provoke them on purpose.”

“Why?  You had to know what they would do to you.”

“Of course I did.  But it was better than the alternative.  At least I knew I could take it.  And no one asked too many questions when they saw me beat up.  They just figured I’d been picking fights or something.  A lot more questions would have been asked if my sister showed up at school looking like that.”

“Why cover for it though?”

“I don’t know.  She was still my mom and I didn’t want my family, as dysfunctional as it was, to be ripped apart.  It seemed like the best option at the time.”

“Okay then, why not admit you did it on purpose?”

“Because it would make my sister feel even guiltier than she already did.”

“What about when you talked to my parents?  Why not tell them?”

“I guess I just didn’t think it was anybody’s business to know.  I didn’t need anyone feeling sorry for me or thinking I was some kind of hero, because I’m clearly not.”

“Okay, second question.  Why wrestling?”

“Why wrestling?  These are not the questions I was anticipating.  But okay, this one’s easier.  I always loved it.  In fact, I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t a wrestling fan.  It was a great escape for me.”

“Escape from what?”

“From everything.  From what my mom was doing, from the beatings, from the other alternatives that were open to me in my neighborhood.”

“What choices were those?”

“Joining a gang, becoming a drug dealer.  Which, full disclosure, I have sold drugs before.  But that was more because I was forced to, or I would get beat up.  Still, I made the choice.”

“So, I ask you again, why wrestling?  Why not just join a gang?”

“Because that wasn’t the kind of life I wanted for myself, and I saw wrestling as my way out of the kind of life I was living.  I never saw myself as a bad guy.  In fact, I sometimes felt like I was a good guy surrounded by bad guys.  I had to escape that.  So, as soon as Ally got out and went to college on scholarship, I knew I had to get out too, or I would be stuck there forever.”

“Okay, so third question.  Why all the drugs when you were in Puerto Rico?”

“Well, it’s not like I hadn’t used drugs before.  They were all over my neighborhood, hell, even in my own house when my mom had the money for them.  I guess, I don’t know, I had money to spend for the first time in my life and drugs were easy to come by.  It was so prevalent with the wrestling crowd I was hanging with.  I never really thought too much about it.  Plus, I wasn’t a happy person, and I felt better when I was high.”

“Why weren’t you happy?”

“Because I was stupid.  I felt like the world owed me something for everything I had been through as a kid.  It made me bitter and angry.  I also never saw myself as living a very long life.  I thought it would be a miracle if I made it to 30.  I mean, several kids I grew up with were already dead.  I guess I just couldn’t come up with a reason not to.  And, like I said, I felt better.”

“So, next question.  Why all the women?”

“It’s what I saw all the time growing up.  I guess it seemed normal at first.  Plus, I enjoyed, at least to begin with.  It was also so much easier, from my perspective, than allowing myself to trust someone and to build an actual relationship.  Safer that way.”

“Did you ever abuse a woman or lie about what you were after?”

“What?  I mean no, no to both.  I was never abusive.  I had seen too much of that shit to go there.  And I never claimed or promised that it was anything more than what it was.  I know that doesn’t excuse it, but there were still some lines I didn’t cross.”

“So why stop?”

“Which part?”

“All of it.”

“Well, I decided to stop the drugs when I got worried about it affecting my wrestling.  I lost 30 pounds in a year and was struggling to perform in the ring.  I knew I could die too, but at the time I was more worried about the impact on my wrestling.  So, I went to live with Ally while I got clean and started training again.  Started treating my body better.  I still smoked and drank too much, and sometimes smoked pot.  But I was off everything else.”

“So, why give up the rest of those things?”

“Well, as much as I tried not to care if I lived or died, my sister refused to accept that.  She basically made me feel so guilty for not thinking about how it would affect her if something happened to me.  I knew I had to make even more changes.  That, and when I got the call from WWE, I knew I had to give the rest of it up, so I never jeopardized my career.  It was all I had ever wanted.  So, although I do still drink sometimes, I don’t get drunk and I quit smoking, both cigarettes and pot about five and half years ago.  Which is why I chew gum all the damn time, in case you hadn’t noticed.”

“Okay, what about the women?  Why give up that lifestyle?”

“Because when you’re not high or drunk, that kind of life just gets really freaking depressing.  I thought I had found the answer to never letting anyone in.  But I never expected how incredibly lonely that would be, especially when I really started to look at my life more honestly after I got clean.  And again, I cared about making a good impression in WWE.  I had already slowed way down with sleeping with random women, but I knew my reputation, and I didn’t want to be that guy anymore.”

“So, what did you do?”

“When I got to FCW, I just kept to myself for the most part because I still hadn’t figured out that letting people in would actually feel good instead of seeing it as a betrayal waiting to happen.  I did start really looking at myself and thinking about how angry I had always been.  I knew I was going to have to let that go if I was ever going to really function as a healthy adult, which I miraculously then had the desire to be.  So, I started working through some of the things I had blamed other people for, tried to take ownership for my part in everything, and let the rest go.  That’s part of why I didn’t really talk to people.  I was too busy being in my own head.  Then, when I met Joe and Colby, well, they just wouldn’t allow me to shut them out.  And then I met you and I realized that life isn’t meant to be lived on your own.  It is much better when you let people in, let them love you.  To be honest, I was kind of shocked to find this to be true.  But it was.  I loved you practically from the moment we met.”

“Why not go after me then?”

“Because you were with Randy, and you seemed happy.  That’s all I wanted for you.”

“What about after Randy and I broke up?  We didn’t get together right away, and I am under the impression that I asked you out.”

“Honestly, because of exactly this conversation that we are having now.”

“What do you mean?”

“Come on Kayla.  Look at my past and look at yours.  Nobody would predict we could work together.  Anyone could see you deserved better.”

“I think that is a bunch of crap.”

“What?  It’s true.  The person I used to be was nowhere near good enough for you.”

“I don’t buy that either.  My dad told me that you know you made bad decision in your past, but that you finally decided to become a better person.  He said you didn’t exactly say you regretted it, because it made you who you are now.”

“That’s true, but I am truly sorry if knowing this stuff about me hurts you.  That’s the last thing I would ever want to do.”

“Well, I believe that, but you are missing my point.  I don’t think that you changed who you were.  I just think you started making better decisions.  From where I stand Jon, you were always a good person.  You were loyal to your family, even when they might not have deserved it, you were determined to make your life better, and you dug yourself out of what sounds like a pretty severe depression and drug addiction.  As for the women, while it might be against some people’s morals, you weren’t doing anything wrong.  You could have lied to them to get what you wanted, but even then, you were still true to the good man inside of you.”

“Kayla, listen, I don’t think…”

“No, you listen Jon.  I want you to know that you have nothing to apologize for.  And I am sorry if I made you feel like you should.  I’ll admit I had a hard time at first making the things I read fit with the man I am getting to know.  But if you look more carefully, he was always in there.  You just did you damnedest to drown him out for a while.  But you never really could, not completely.  And I think I want to send Vince a fruit basket or something because getting hired by WWE is what finally made you decide to let that Jon come out and show himself to the world.  And that’s why you have so many people in your life that make you happy now.  Not because you changed who you are, but because you finally behaved like the person you have always been.  So, you can just stop with the not good enough crap, because it’s bullshit,” Kayla finished as I started to laugh.  “What, why are you laughing?  I’m serious Jon.”

“I know you are.  I believe you.  I even agree with you, for the most part.”

“Really?  Then what’s so funny?”

“It’s just…this is almost the same lecture you gave me three and a half years ago, when you asked me out and I said I didn’t think it was a good idea.  Believe me, you changed my mind that night too.”

“Then why are we having this discussion again?”

“Because you not remembering any of that, and asking all of those questions about my past, brought up just about every insecurity I ever had about us and our relationship.  And I know we’re not together, and we may never be, and I can accept that.  I don’t like it, but I accept it.  But to think that there was a possibility that I could lose your respect and your friendship, well that terrified me.  So, I let some of those old doubts surface more than they should have.  I’m sorry.  I should have known that despite the memory loss, you are still the same amazing person you have always been, and that you wouldn’t judge me.  Although the question about provoking my mom’s boyfriends was new.  The rest was pretty much on par with things we have hashed out before.”

“Did you mean it when you said you believe me?  That you are a good person?”

“Yes Kayla.  If you hadn’t convinced me of that that first night, I would never have gone out with you.  And I’m very happy to see you agree with yourself.”

“You could have stopped me you know.  If you already knew what I was going to say.”

“True, but now you have a memory of it too.”

“You know, even if we never had this conversation, I still knew I didn’t actually have to ask you if you were really a good man.”

“And why is that?”

“The way you treat our daughter.  The way you have bent over backwards, at the expense of your own feelings, for me.  But also, seeing how loyal your friends are to you, and how much my parents love and respect you.  You should know, they don’t just love you because you are married to their daughter.  They truly see you as a son.  All of that tells me everything I need to know about you, regardless of your past.”

“Okay, then let me ask you the same question.  Why have the conversation?”

“Because I thought you needed it,” she answered simply.

“Thank you.  Thank you for caring enough to make me have the conversation.  You still don’t even really know me, so you certainly didn’t have to.  I do appreciate it.”

“You’re welcome Jon.  I appreciate your honesty, even when you weren’t certain how I would react.  And I may not be able to predict how things will go from here for us, but at the very least, I feel comfortable in saying that I certainly think we can be friend.”

“That sounds good.  I would like that.”

“Me too.”

“So, is that it?  Is that all of your questions?”

“Actually, I do have on more.”

“I can’t imagine what it could be at this point, but go for it.”

“What kind of ice cream do you like?”

“Seriously?  What kind of ice cream do I like?”

“Yep.  That’s what I want to know.  I’ll tell you what we have and you can let me know what you like, because you and I, my friend, are sharing a bowl of ice cream.  We’ve earned it.”

“At 9:00 in the morning?”

“Uh-huh.  We did a lot of emotional heavy lifting, and I say that it calls for ice cream.”

“I can’t say as we’ve done this before,” I said as we sifted through the freezer.

“We’ve never eaten ice cream together?  I find that hard to believe.”

“Never for breakfast,” I explained.

“Well then, we’ll start a new tradition.  So, what will it be?  Rocky Road, Mint Chocolate Chip, or Coffee?” Kayla asked.

“Let’s go with Coffee.”

“With chocolate syrup?”

“And cool whip,” I added.

“Done.  Grab us a bowl and two spoons, would you?”

“Got em.  Here’s the bowl.  I am going to get out the cool whip and the chocolate syrup.  Man, I hope we have cool whip,” I said.

“Me too.  It just wouldn’t be a proper sundae without it.”

“BINGO, found it.  We have both chocolate syrup and cool whip.  Now we’re talking.”

“Okay then, let’s dig in,” Kayla suggested.


	36. Chapter 36

** Chapter 36 **

**_Anna’s POV_ **

“Do you think we gave them long enough to talk dear?” I asked as Derek and I continued to walk around with Amelia.

“I hope so.  We have circled the block about as many times as I care to and I think the novelty is wearing off for Amelia.  Let’s head back.  Hopefully Kayla and Jon have had enough time to talk some things out.  I know we can’t expect them to work through everything all at once, but I am at least glad they are talking.  And I think we should see if Jon can stay through Christmas.  I doubt they have any house shows this weekend on Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  With Joe and Galina coming in with Joelle, there is a chance we could actually have the whole family together.  I never would have thought it possible a week ago,” Derek concluded.

“That would be the best gift we could ask for.  Okay, I say we head in.  If they’re still talking, we can just make ourselves scarce.  How’s that sound Amelia?  Do you want to go find Mommy and Daddy?” I asked.

“I am sure that she does.  It has to make her really happy to have them both with her.  I know she can’t possibly understand what is going on, but I am sure she knows her mommy hasn’t been around.  I’m glad Kayla decided to start traveling with them too.  At least they’ll all be together for part of the week.   That’s a great start,” Derek responded.

“Well, I don’t hear any arguing,” I observed.

“Did you really think there would be any?  I mean, can you even think of a time when they argued?  I am sure they have disagreed, but I have never seen them fight or act upset with one another.  They just fit together so well.  I hope Kayla can start to see that, even without her memories.”

“Shh, Derek, be quiet.  Listen.  It sounds like they are laughing.  It’s coming from the kitchen. Let’s go take a peek,” I suggested as we crept close enough to overhear.

“So, explain it to me again.  I was married to you, but my character was dating your best friend on-screen?” Kayla inquired.

“Yep.  You actually betrayed me to join him.  It was an interesting time.  And you haven’t lived until you have had to watch your wife make out with one of your best friends in front of thousands of people,” Jon said with a chuckle.

“Did it get weird, like between us or between you and, what’s his name again?”

“Colby, although you were dating him as his character, Seth Rollins.  And actually, we all had a lot of fun with it.  Colby was always teasing me about it and threatening to steal you away for real.  You’d threaten to leave me for your back-up man when I did something stupid.  That is, you did it until Colby heard you had referred to him as your “back-up” man.  He pouted for like three days.  It was great!”

“You must have a solid friendship to have been comfortable with all that.”

“We do, and he would never do anything to hurt either one of us.  But mostly, I always had complete faith and trust in you.”

“Wow.  Thanks, although I don’t feel like that was me.”

“I assure you, it was.  But you don’t have to take my word for it.  We should watch some of the episodes from the storyline later, maybe even call Colby.  I am sure you would get a kick out of it.”

“Do my parents have them recorded or something?”

“What?  No, they are all on the WWE Network.  I guess you wouldn’t know about that.  I promise to tell you all about it later.  Now let’s finish this ice cream before we get caught eating it for breakfast,” Jon suggested.

“Too late for that young man.  You have been caught,” I scolded, teasing my son-in-law.

“It was your daughter’s idea.  I swear.  I just went along with it,” Jon quickly explained.

“Wow, Jon.  Throw me right under the bus why don’t you.  Where’s the loyalty?”

“Sorry, your mom scares me,” Jon said with a sheepish grin.

“Lies Jonathan.  I am not scary, so don’t you dare blame this on me,” I tossed back.

“Yes mam.  Sorry Kayla.”

“You’re forgive Jon.  So, did you guys have a nice walk?”

“We did,” Derek answered.  “How were things here?”

“If that’s your way of not-so-subtly prying Dad, things here went fine.  We had a good talk, I think, right Jon?”

“We did.  But we agreed that it did necessitate our ice cream breakfast.  Kayla said it’s the thing to do when you feel emotionally exhausted.  So, here we are, getting caught pigging out.  I’m going to have to add extra time to my workout later thanks to you.”

“You didn’t have to agree, Jon.”

“I was just being polite.  I didn’t want to hurt your feelings.  You know, you’re just getting used to me again.  I have to make a good impression.  It would have just been bad form to turn it down while you are still getting to know me,” Jon said with a sly smirk.

“I am getting to know that you think you’re pretty funny.”

“I am funny.  You used to think it was adorable,” he argued.

“I’m not so sure about that,” Kayla responded, trying to hide a grin.

“I see how it is.  Come on Mel, come see Daddy before he goes to the gym.  At least I know you’ll be nice to me,” Jon said, taking his daughter out of my arms and heading up the stairs.

_Derek and I just shared a smile as he did so.  That was definitely a brief glimpse of the old Jon and Kayla.  Hopefully they could build on that._


	37. Chapter 37

** Chapter 37 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

_The past three days had practically flown by.  And now it was early in the morning on Christmas Eve.  After making sure that it was okay with me, my parents had asked Jon to stay through Christmas, and he had agreed.  I thought it would be best for both of us to be able to spend Christmas with our daughter.  After all, it was her first one, and I was sure that neither one of us wanted to miss it._

_My sister and Joe would also be coming with Joelle soon, so the whole family would be together.  I could tell my parents were over the moon about that.  They had been having us take part in all sorts of holiday traditions.  We had watched Christmas movies, baked and decorated cookies, and helped wrap presents for Galina’s family.  Throughout it all, I continued to be in awe of how natural it was for Jon to interact with Amelia.  He talked to her constantly, like she understood everything he was saying.  He even interpreted her motions and noises as a wide range of responses.  I have to say, I was definitely jealous of how he seemed to do it without even thinking._

_Like when we were making cookies, Jon put Amelia in a bouncy seat and set her right up on the table, explaining everything we were doing to her.  He even asked for her advice when decorating the different cookies.  His dialogue with her was almost continuous.  He also seemed to anticipate when she might start to get fussy or bored, and found a way to keep her happy and entertained.  And if she did get upset and cry, he didn’t seem phased a bit.  He just took it all in stride.  I certainly didn’t.  At least not yet._

_Although I was starting to feel more comfortable with things like feeding her and changing her diaper, my interactions with her still felt forced.  And I definitely felt panicked when she started to cry.  Maybe I was trying too hard and over-thinking it.  I just wanted to be a good parent, and I suppose I felt like I had to do something to make up for not remembering my precious little girl._

_I was looking forward to Galina’s arrival.  I felt like I could talk to her about some of this stuff.  I knew Jon would listen to me and be supportive, but I also felt like he would just try to tell me that it was okay and not to worry about it.  I didn’t think he could understand how inadequate I felt, whether it was my fault I couldn’t remember or not.  I was hoping Galina, being a mom herself, would be able to sympathize.  Also, even though I felt like Jon and I were starting to lay the groundwork for becoming friends, I was still more comfortable talking to my sister.  Hopefully they would arrive soon._

“Good morning Kayla,” Jon greeted as he came downstairs with Amelia in his arms.

“Good morning Jon,” I returned.

“Say good morning to Mommy sweetpea,” Jon said as he dropped Amelia into my lap and walked over to get a cup of coffee.

“So, what happened to Mom and Dad?  I am sure they’re already up,” Jon inquired.

“They ran to the store to stock up and be ready for the next few days.  Mom said something about how much her boys like to eat.”

“Yeah, Joe and I can really pack it in when we let ourselves.  Mom always tries to stuff us to the gills whenever we are here.  I always tell her she doesn’t have to make a big fuss, but I think it makes her happy.  Although, speaking of how much food she’ll be throwing my way soon, I should probably go get in a workout before Joe and Galina get here.  Would it be okay if I head out to the gym soon?”

“Sure.  Why would I mind?” I asked, not sure why he needed my permission.

“I just wanted to make sure that you are okay with staying here by yourself with Mel,” he explained.

“Oh, right.  I hadn’t thought about that.  Well, I have to get used to taking care of her sometime.  No time like the present, right?” I said uncertainly.

“You’ll be fine Kayla.  She just woke up and I changed her. So, she is all set as far as that goes.  You can probably start by feeding her a bottle and then just do whatever feels right.  I know you will be fine.  You are a great mother.”

“The old me was a great mother.  I’m just a new parent, trying to figure it all out.”

“Well, you figured it out six months ago, so I am sure you can do it again.  Besides, your parents will be back before too long, and I am only a phone call away,” Jon reassured.

“You’re right.  Besides, it’s not like me to shy away from a challenge.”

“That-a-girl.  I’m just going to go grab my gym stuff and head out then.  Bye-bye Mel.  Be good for Mommy.  Daddy loves you and I’ll see you in a little while.  Then your Uncle Joe, Aunt Galina, and cousin Joelle will be here, and the house will be hopping.  You’d better think about taking a nap when I get home to be ready for a wild and crazy day.  Have fun ladies.  See you soon.”

“Bye Jon,” I said, feeling a wave of anxiety rush over me as he left the room. 

_Okay Kayla, suck it up.  Stop being a wimp about this.  It’s not your style.  Everything is going to be fine._

“So, Amelia, what do you think?  Are you ready for that bottle?” I asked as she looked up at me and smiled. 

_Okay, I can do this._


	38. Chapter 38

** Chapter 38 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_A few hours later, I was back at the house getting dressed after taking a shower and reflecting on my earlier conversation with Kayla.  I had thought for a moment that she was going to stop breathing when I mentioned leaving her alone at the house with Mel.  But, then I saw the familiar spark of determination in her eyes, as she decided she was up for the challenge.  Memory or no memory, it was good to see she still had that fire, and I really didn’t doubt that she would take great care of our daughter.  She just needed to trust her instincts and stop second-guessing herself.  I know she is heaping a lot of pressure on herself to both be as good a parent as she thinks I am, and to somehow make up for losing her memory.  Like that was in any way her fault.  Regardless, I know that’s why she is trying so hard, instead of just letting it happen more naturally.  Hopefully the one-on-one time with Mel will help with that._

_I was also thinking about how glad I was that Mom and Dad had asked me to say for Christmas.  I think it is so important for Mel and Kayla to spend as much time together as possible.  I would have left Mel here for the weekend, if Kayla had asked, but I would have been really disappointed to miss her first Christmas.  I am glad it worked out that we could all be together.  And Kayla and I are at least starting to become friends, so that is a step in the right direction.  It is still painfully slow compared to what I would like it to be, but I am trying to temper my expectations to be a little more realistic and not rely too much on hoping she gets her memories back, because that may or may not happen - ever.  Although that is still what I am hoping and praying for, I have decided to just try and start over, and see where things go._

_There are times when I feel like I can be patient and do that, but then there are others when all the love I have for Kayla just wants to explode out of me, and I feel like someone is just playing a really cruel trick on me and messing with my heart.  I am not sure how to be okay with all of this, but I am working on it.  I know that if I let myself go to an angry or depressed place that I will drastically decrease my chances of getting closer to Kayla again.  Not to mention it wouldn’t do me or Mel any favors either._

_Speaking of Mel, she seemed no worse for wear when I got home, and Kayla seemed a bit more relaxed with her.  Mom and Dad had returned too and were of course doting on their youngest grandchild.  She will probably start to get sleepy in a little while and go down for her morning nap.  So far, Kayla has preferred for me to put Mel to sleep, but maybe before the end of the weekend, she will give it a go._

_As I made my way downstairs, I could tell that I was right about Mel getting sleepy because I could hear her fussing.  I headed in the direction of her cries and found Kayla with a slightly panicked look on her face, trying to sooth Mel and quiet her down._

“Are you giving your Mommy a hard time?” I asked as I approached Mel and Kayla.

“Jon, I’m so glad you came down.  Kayla is really fussy and I’m not sure why.  I fed her a bottle and she doesn’t need a diaper change.  I thought maybe she would fall asleep when I fed her, but she obviously didn’t, and I just can’t seem to do anything to make it better.”

“Relax Kayla, you’re doing fine.  Those are all the right things to try.  She can just get determined to stay awake when she’s sleepy.  It’s like she doesn’t want to miss anything.  She can be a bit stubborn about it.”

“Like her mother?” Kayla questioned, with a slight grin.

“I didn’t say that,” I answered, trying not to smile.

“You didn’t have to.  I do remember that much about myself.  But that stubbornness aside, I think I am ready to wave the white flag on this one.  I can’t stand to hear her sounding upset.  Can you take her?”

“Sure, but I know you can do this.  Maybe you can put her to bed tonight.  I’ll help if you want.  You need to put some of that stubbornness to good use,” I teased.

“I know I shouldn’t let it intimidate me, and this feels so unlike me.  I am usually so confident and determined, but with Amelia, I just feel like I am so out of my depth, and I don’t want to do anything wrong.”

“I get that.  I felt the same way when she was first born.  I loved her so much and wanted to be the best dad, but I really had absolutely no idea how to go about it.”

“Seriously?  You?  Mr. Daddy of the year?  I find that hard to believe.”

“Well, it’s true.  I was so nervous about holding her the right way, how to change her, getting the bottle just the right temperature, all of it.”

“How did you get over it?  Because you obviously did.”

“Actually, you helped me.  You told me that I was trying too hard and putting too much pressure on myself.  Then you just showed me how to do all the things I was worried about and wouldn’t let me get away with chickening out.”

“Kind of a role reversal, I guess,” she responded.

“Maybe, but you were right, and I did the things you said - not like you would take no for an answer – and it worked.  It will work for you too.  It will just take time.  But, of course, it won’t feel very good in the meantime.  And before you say it, I know you feel guilty about not remembering Mel, or not knowing exactly what to do with her, and I get it.  I ‘m not going to tell you that you shouldn’t feel that way, because you just do.  But what I will tell you is that you helped me feel like a good dad and I will do whatever I can to help you feel like a good mom, because I know that it doesn’t matter how many people think you are a good mom already if you don’t feel that way about yourself.  I would like to offer that I believe anyone who cares that much about being a good parent must be doing something right.  But now, I am going to stop bugging you about it and take Mel upstairs to put her down for a nap.  Hopefully I’ll be back down before the rest of the family gets here.  Come on Mel, you and Daddy are going to have a battle of wills, and you sweetpea are going to lose,” I said, taking Mel out of Kayla’s arms.

_Kayla just kind of stared at me for a minute, looking a bit surprised, and maybe grateful.  I couldn’t be sure exactly._

“Thank you, Jon.”

“It’s no problem.  I never mind putting Mel to sleep.”

“No, not for that.  For what you said.  I didn’t think you would be able to relate.  Once again, I can see that I still have a lot to learn about you.  I appreciate that you didn’t just tell me I shouldn’t feel that way, or that it is going to be okay.  That is kind of what I expected.”

“Well, I have to say, that was my first instinct.  But you have spent the past four years explaining to me how sometimes women just want to be heard, and not have someone just jump in to try and solve the problem.  I don’t always remember to respond that way, but after years of training, I occasionally get it right.”

“I must have taught you well.  Here, let me give Amelia a kiss before you take her upstairs.  Have a good nap sweetheart,” she said as she gave her a kiss on the head.

_It made me feel flooded with emotion to see her being affectionate towards her.  I was so grateful we were here, spending time together as a family.  Now to go convince my sweetpea that it is indeed time to take a nap._


	39. Chapter 39

** Chapter 39 **

**_Kayla’s POV_ **

_After I gave Amelia a kiss and watched Jon walk upstairs with her, I was overcome with so many thoughts and emotions.  Part of me was feeling this sense of love and affection for my daughter, and I have to admit, it made me feel so relieved.  Maybe just spending more time with her would help me rebuild that connection.  I had been horrified after I held her for the first time and only felt the kind of warmth and affection I would for holding a friend’s baby, which of course made me feel like the worst mother ever.  But the past few days, we have shared more mother-daughter moments and I felt our connection strengthening.  But I knew I still had a long way to go, especially with feeling more comfortable around her.  I don’t think Jon noticed, but as soon as he took Mel from my arms and started talking to her, she immediately stopped fussing.  I desperately wanted to get to that point too.  But, Jon was right.  It will just take time.  I still felt so nervous around her and I was sure she could sense that, at least to some degree._

_The other thing that blew me away was Jon’s response to how I was feeling.  I was sure I wouldn’t be able to talk to him about it, or at least that he wouldn’t really get it if I did.  But he seemed to understand where I was coming from.  I think I really do have a good man for a husband.  Too bad I don’t really remember having feelings for him.  I like him, for sure.  But I don’t feel whatever it was that was obviously between us before.  However, like I told him, I definitely think we can be friends, and he seems happy enough with that for now._

_As I continued to reflect on everything that had happened in the past couple of weeks, I was jolted out of my thoughts when I heard Galina’s voice calling out to us._

“Merry Christmas family!  Hey, where is everybody?”

“Merry Christmas sweetie,” my mom responded.  “We’re in the kitchen working on lunch.”

“And I’m right behind you,” I said, walking towards the kitchen.

“Aunt Kayla!” Joelle exclaimed.  “Are you okay?  Mommy and Daddy said you hurt your head and forgot some stuff.”

“I am definitely okay and I am certainly happy to see you, my favorite niece,” I said, giving Joelle a big hug. 

_I couldn’t believe how big she was.  For me, she had aged four years overnight._  

“You’ve gotten so big,” I commented.

“I’m in second grade now,” she stated proudly.

“And doing well I hear,” I responded.  “Where’s your Daddy?”

“He’s getting stuff from the car,” Galina answered for her daughter, as Joelle was busy getting hugs from her grandparents.

“How are you really?” Galina asked me quietly as we watched our parents lavish attention on their granddaughter.

I am actually doing okay.  I mean relatively speaking.”

“How are you handling not spending Christmas with Amelia?  I mean I know you don’t remember her, but still, that has to be hard,” Galina questioned.

“Actually…” I began, as I realized I hadn’t told her that Jon and Amelia were here.

“Uncle Jon! You’re here!” Joelle said as she ran to Jon and was scooped up in his arms.  “Mommy said you and Amelia wouldn’t be here because Aunt Kayla forgot things.”

“Well, we are here after all munchkin.  So, now you are stuck with me for the whole weekend,” Jon said as he gave Joelle a hug and teased her.

“Where’s Amelia Uncle Jon?  Can I hold her?”

“She’s sleeping right now, but you can sit with her in your lap later.  You’re going to be the best big cousin, and I’m sure you will be able to teach her all sorts of things as she gets bigger.”

“Like what kind of things?” Joelle wondered.

“Well, I know for a fact that you know how to throw the absolute best tea parties, and your dad tells me how you are becoming a great reader at school.  When Mel gets older, you will be able to show her how it’s done.”

“What can I do with her now?”

“For now, you can sit and just play with her.  She likes when people talk to her and play with her toys.  I bet you will be super at that.  Probably better than the rest of us adults with the toys.”

“Cool.  Thanks Uncle Jon.”

“You’re welcome,” Jon said, setting her back down.  “Now why don’t you go check out the presents under the tree.  I think I saw quite a few with your name on them,” he suggested.

“Yay, presents!” Joelle said, running for the living room.

“Jon, it’s good to see you,” Galina said as she gave him a hug.  “I’m glad you are here with us.”

“Me too.  I was thrilled when Kayla asked us to visit, and then your parents asked me to stay.  So, where’s your lesser half?”

“Watch yourself Jon.  That lesser half can take you down if he wants to,” Joe said as he walked in with a bunch of bags and presents in tow.

“Well, if you do that, then I won’t be able to help you carry all of that stuff upstairs like I was going to.  And besides, do you deny that Galina is your better half?  Go ahead, deny it.  I dare you.”

“I’m not falling into that trap brother.  Now stop trying to cause trouble and help me get this stuff upstairs you pain in the ass.”

“It’s good to see you too Joe,” Jon laughed as they picked up the suitcases and packages and carried them upstairs.

“Do they always behave that way with each other?” I asked Galina, since my parents had joined Joelle in the living room.

“What, you mean like bickering idiots?  Yep, pretty much.  It only gets worse when Colby is in the mix.”

“Ah, Colby.  I have heard a lot about him, and I saw him in some of the matches that Jon and I watched together.  I’ve got to meet this guy.”

“Maybe you can all skype with him later.  I know Jon and Joe would love to say Merry Christmas to him.”

“So, they really are that close?” I asked.

“Yeah, for better or worse, they are,” Galina responded with a smile.  “So, now for the real question.  What made you decide to invite Jon to stay here?”

“At first, I just wanted to talk with him.  Like I told you on the phone, I wanted to tell him what I had decided.  That, and I had a bunch of questions for him after looking him up online.”

“About his past?”

“Yeah.  I just wanted to hear things from his own perspective.”

“And what did you discover?” Galina wanted to know.

“Pretty much what I had already figured out, based on the way all of you feel about him, and the way his is with Amelia.”

“Which is what exactly?”

“That he is a good man.  That he may have done a lot of things in his past that he isn’t proud of, but he has used it all to become the man he is today.  And that man is a pretty decent guy,” I explained.

“He is.  And he makes you happy.  Well, at least he used to.  How are you feeling about him now?”

“I like him.  I mean, I am still getting to know him.  But I told him I think we can at least be friends.”

“Well, that’s a good place to start.  I am sure he was happy to hear that, and to be here for the holidays.”

“After we talked, I just got to thinking how we both probably wanted to be with our daughter for the holidays.  It is her first Christmas after all, so he jumped at the chance to stay.  Although he was a little panicked about not having any of his presents with him.  They are all back in Vegas because I guess he was planning to get together with everyone at some point to exchange gifts in person.  But Mom and Dad reassured him that just having him and Amelia here was enough of a gift.  He was particularly worried about not having anything for Joelle, so he went out shopping on his way to the gym.  He wouldn’t tell me what he got, but he was rather pleased with himself.  It seems like Joelle really likes him.”

“She loves her Uncle Jon, and her Uncle Colby for that matter.  But she tends to see Jon more because he’s family, and she loves spending time with him.  He can’t say no to her and she practically has him just as wrapped around her finger as Amelia does.”

“Oh really?”

“Yep, just wait.  You will no doubt see him and Joe sitting for a proper tea party before the weekend is over.  Oh, how the rest of the guys in the locker room love to taunt them about stuff like that.”

“How do the guys at work even know?”

“Joelle tends to do a lot of talking and Uncle Colby gets her to confess all.  And well, no one talks as much as Colby, so words always _accidently_ gets out about whatever adorable, yet embarrassing things they have done.”

“What do Jon and Joe do about it?  To Colby I mean.”

“Oh, they always get him back.  They have been known to tape pictures outside his locker room door of him and Joelle having their own tea parties.  There was even one of him dressed up as a princess that got him a lot of ribbing.”

“They seem more like brothers than co-workers,” I observed.

“They would tell you that they are brothers,” Galina responded.  “If you watched any matches from their Shield days, you probably saw it.  The bond that their characters had wasn’t forced or fake.  It was absolutely real.  And it has lasted a lot longer than the Shield did.  Of course, you were a part of that too.”

“Yeah, it was strange to watch myself interacting with all three of them.  It’s obvious I felt comfortable with each of them, not just Jon.”

“Yeah, you were the four musketeers.  And I have to admit, there were times when I felt a little jealous.  Sometimes you saw my husband more than I did, and you got to be a part of the special bond he has with the boys.”

“Gosh, I hadn’t really thought about it like that.  Sorry Gal.  I don’t remember that, but I’m sure I never meant to make you feel that way.”

“Relax Kayla.  I know.   And I have come to be a part of that dynamic now too.  Jon and Colby aren’t just family to Joe, they’re family to Joelle and me too.  And Jon still would be, even if he hadn’t married you.  I know Joe and Colby miss him terribly now that they are on different brands.”

“Oh right.  I was reading about that.  At least it looks like they kept couples together.  For the most part anyway.”

“Yeah, I think still having you around was what helped Jon deal with losing his partners in crime.”

“Except now I have taken that away from him too.  He doesn’t have me or his best friends around at a time when he probably needs them the most,” I realized, suddenly feeling very guilty.

“That’s true.  But Joe and Colby are still always there for him.  Heck, Colby would probably lose his mind if he and Jon didn’t talk all the time.  I think they’re a little bit co-dependent,” Galina said with a smirk.  “And Jon has made several new friends on the Smackdown roster.  Besides, didn’t you tell me you are headed back on the road with the roster?”

“Yeah, but not for another few weeks.  And I’m not sure if I’ll be at all of the house shows.  We have yet to hash out all of the details.  I am meeting with management some time after the holidays.  But even when I go back, it won’t be the same.  Jon and I aren’t together.  Do you think it might actually make him feel worse?  Me being there, but us not being together?”

“I think you are over-analyzing this.  Jon will be thrilled to have you around, especially so you and Amelia can spend more time together.  And Jon just likes being around you, together or not.  He has always been a bit like a lost puppy with you.  Just drawn to want to spend time with you.”

“I just don’t want to send him mixed signals.  I know this is hard for him.”

“I’m not going to deny that, but I still think he will be happier to have you around, in any capacity you feel comfortable with.”

“Just seems incredibly unfair to him.”

“Listen Kayla.  Does Jon love you and want his wife back someday?  Absolutely.  But you two didn’t start off as a couple, although you were fast friends.  He was mostly in love with you even then, but he was content to just be your friend when you were with Randy and I know you valued his friendship, right from the start.  So, stop thinking about everything so much and just see how things go.”

“I’ll try,” I responded as I saw Jon and Joe coming back downstairs, laughing about something.

“God, the look on his face was priceless,” Joe was saying.

“Who are you guys talking about?” I asked.

“Colby,” they answered in unison.

“You guys should skype him.  That way Kayla could meet him, well kind of meet him,” Galina suggested.

“Like I would even know how to skype,” Jon responded, rolling his eyes.

“Come on man.  I can show you how.  It’s actually not that hard.  Gal and I do it all the time,” Joe reasoned.

“As long as you all set it up.  About the only thing I know how to do is turn the computer on, maybe check my e-mail and get on the internet,” Jon replied.

“We can do that, and you don’t even need a computer man.  I can set it up on your phone.  Then you could use it so Kayla could see Amelia too.  Besides, I think Colby would love to hear from us,” Joe said as he grabbed Jon’s phone and walked into the kitchen with it.

“Yeah, Colby’s always happy to talk to us.  Especially if we include him when we are all together as a family.  It helps him feel like he isn’t being left out,” Jon commented.  “Like there is any way we don’t consider him family too.”

“Still, he is often the one not physically here with us, so I can kinda see how he might be a little jealous,” Galina offered.

“I know, but I talk to him almost every day, some days more than once.  Although I haven’t talked to him in the past few days, we have been so busy,” Jon explained.

“Well, then this is the perfect chance to call him and keep him in the loop.  Besides, I am dying to get a chance to meet him after watching some of our Shield storylines and hearing you all talk about him,” I said.

“Yeah.  I keep forgetting he left the hospital before you woke up, so you haven’t had the pleasure,” Jon chuckled.  “You’re in for a treat.  I am sure he will be in rare form.”

“You know, we should just have you in his line of sight Jon when we skype him, at least at first.  He will be beside himself trying to figure out how you did it,” my sister suggested.

“Good call Gal.  I love it,” answered Jon.

“You love what?” Joe asked returning with Jon’s phone, apparently now all set up to skype.

“Gal thinks we should blow Colby’s mind by making him think I skyped him on my own.”

“Please, like Colby would believe you could figure this out on your own,” Joe smirked.

“True, but it could be fun to try,” Jon cajoled.

“Okay, I’m in.  Let’s mess with him,” Joe agreed.

“You all seem to spend a lot of time and energy harassing one another,” I observed.

“Of course.  It’s what we do,” Jon said simply.

“It’s how they express their love,” Galina added.

“Plus, it’s usually funny as hell to watch Colby get all wound up,” Joe said, winking at me.

“It’s actually one of my absolute favorite pastimes,” Jon confided.

“Okay then, I guess, let the games begin,” I said as the rest of us moved out of the range of the camera, so only Jon would appear on the screen when the call went through.

“Jon, is that you?” Colby asked sounding incredulous as he answered and accepted the skype.

“Yeah, it’s me,” Jon responded.  “Merry Christmas Colby.”

“Are you seriously skyping me right now Jon?  How did this happen?  Who helped you?”

“Nobody helped me.  I just figured out how to do it on my own, and voila, here I am.”

“I’m not buying it.  You must have had help.  But who would be there to help you.  That’s the question.  I thought you were back in Vegas after your visit with Kayla.  But maybe…wait, what’s that behind you Jon?  Is that a picture of your in-laws and the girls?  It is isn’t it?  You’re still there aren’t you?”

“You caught me Colby,” Jon replied laughing.  “Yes, I’m still here with them.”

“Really?  Jon, that’s great!  I am so happy for you.  Did Kayla ask you to stay, or was it Anna and Derek?   Still, either way, it has to be a good sign, right?  I mean you wouldn’t still be there if things weren’t okay, obviously.”

“Do you want me to answer any of your questions Colby, or do you just want to keep talking and work it out on your own?” Jon teased.

“I think we both know the answer to that Jon.  Now back to how you figured out how to do this.  If you are with Anna and Derek, then…oh, it’s so obvious.  Joe is there with you.  He did it for you, didn’t he?  I bet he’s even there right now listening and having a good laugh at my expense.  Well, very funny guys.  Whose idea was it anyway?  I know it wasn’t Jon’s.  It sounds like something Kayla would do, but she doesn’t really know me right now, so I don’t see her being out to get me.  And Joe, I see him as more of a co-conspirator, so that leaves…Gal, did you do this?  Come on, give it up.”

“Okay, okay, yes Colby.  It was my idea,” Galina said with a chuckle.  “I thought it would be fun to tease you and Kayla wanted to meet you and get to know you a little.  And I don’t think you could have been any more yourself than what she just witnessed.”

“Yeah, your mind is an impressive thing to watch in action,” Jon said with a smile.

“My mind is a thing of beauty.  It’s what made me the…”

“The architect of the Shield,” Joe, Galina, and Jon finished for Colby.

“Yeah, we know,” Jon laughed.

“Well good, and Merry Christmas to you too Jon.”

“You know I said that like five minutes ago now, right?”

“Of course I do Jon.  I heard you.  But I was busy trying to solve a mystery.  So, where is Kayla?  If she wants to meet me, here I am.”

“I think you might have scared her,” Galina joked.

“Please, I’m not scared of him,” I said, stepping into the view of the camera.  “Just waiting for the right moment to join the conversation.  Nice to meet you Colby,” I said with a grin.

“Good to see you Kayla.  I hope you haven’t believed a word these people have said about me.  It’s not true, whatever they said,” Colby quipped.

“Well, that’s a shame because I have heard a lot of good things.  I guess I won’t believe them though.”

“Wait now, let’s not be hasty.  If it was good, I am sure it was true.   After all, I don’t think any of them would bother to make up good stuff about me.  What have they said?”

“Jon and I were just watching some old episodes of Raw and Smackdown on the network and he was telling me how you and I were actually in a romantic storyline.”

“Best thing that could have happened to you,” Colby said smugly.

“Is that so Colby?” Jon retorted.

“Hey, once she dumped your character for mine and joined the authority, it wasn’t long until she captured the Diva’s Championship.  What did Dean ever do for her?  Hmm?”

“Really Colby?  You’re going to go there right now?” Jon answered.

“You’re right.  It’s Christmas.  But fear not Kayla, I will fill you in on how things really went down some other time.”

“I’ll look forward to it Colby,” I answered. 

“Now, I think we are about to have lunch soon, so we’ll let you talk to Jon for a bit,” Joe offered.  “Merry Christmas buddy.”

“Merry Christmas Joe.  You too Gal.  Give Joelle a hug from her Uncle Colby.  See ya Kayla.”

“Bye Colby, Merry Christmas,” I said as I left the room with Joe and Galina, leaving Jon alone to speak with Colby.

“Well, you guys were right.  That was definitely an interesting experience,” I commented as we walked into the kitchen.

“Told you it would be,” Gal said with a smile.


	40. Chapter 40

** Chapter 40 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

“Sorry about that man.  We just couldn’t resist seeing what you would think of me skyping,” I explained to Colby.

“It’s okay.  I know you guys like to have fun at my expense.  Don’t worry, I can take it.”

“I knew you would never buy that I could skype you on my own.  It was too obvious.”

“Yeah, Mr. I hate all forms of modern technology.  It wasn’t hard to figure.”

“Still, it was funny though and Kayla got to experience the real Colby Lopez.”

“The one and only,” Colby quipped.  “By the way, how did you end up staying there for Christmas?  The last we talked - which was days ago mind you, but I digress - you were just going for a visit so Kayla could talk to you before you went back to Vegas.”

“Well, that was the plan.  But after we talked, Anna and Derek wanted me to stay, and Kayla said she was okay with it.  So, Mel and I stayed.”

“How did the talk go, by the way, since you have yet to tell me,” Colby said with just a touch of criticism.

“It went well actually.  In fact, it went a lot like it did the first time.”

“What do you mean, like the first time?  You mean the day you guys got together?”

“Yep.  Some parts were practically word for word.”

“Do you think that means she remembers any of it?  At least on some level?” Colby asked hopefully.

“I don’t think so man.  It all seemed new to her.”

“Sorry buddy.  At least it went well though.  She is obviously comfortable with you staying there at least.”

“Yeah, she said she thinks we can be friends,” I said with a sigh.

“That’s a good thing, right?” Colby asked, noticing my subdued response.

“Of course it is.  It’s just, I can’t help but want so much more.  I mean I am trying so hard to just take this slow and not put any pressure on her, but it’s hard man.  A part of me wants to analyze every little look or nuance to see if it means something.”

“I would think that’s only natural.  You’re allowed to be confused about this Jon.  It’s messed up as hell,” he stated, making me smile.

“Indeed it is.  I mean, I want to be happy and appreciate when we take a small step in the right direction, but I can’t let myself read too much into it and think it will necessarily lead to more.  Just because we started off as friends before doesn’t mean it will follow the same path this time.  I mean, we might never move past where we are now.  I’m not sure what I would do with that.  How would I function in a marriage that I don’t want to leave, but that isn’t real?”

“I think you’re getting ahead of yourself man.  She is just starting to get to know you again.  I know it’s hard to hear, but it will just take time.”

“I know.  I just don’t want to make a wrong move or scare he off, ya know?  But there are times when all I want to do is pull her in close and never let go.”

“I get why it is hard not knowing what will happen next, and to worry about how your actions will affect her, but I know you Jon.  You may make a misstep or two, but it would never be intentional, and Kayla is the kind of person who will realize that.  I have complete faith in her.  More than that, I have total faith in you my man.”

“Thanks Colby.  You know, I think you have a career as an inspirational speaker when you retire from wrestling,” I joked, once again feeling truly grateful to have such a supportive and loyal friend.

“Retire from wresting?  Never Jon.  I’m going to set records for the longest career ever!  The people will never tire of Seth Rollins.”

“Of course not.  I don’t know what I was thinking,” I laughed.  “Thanks man.  And I’m sorry I didn’t call you sooner.”

“Please Jon, I was just giving you a hard time about that, well mostly.  Anyway, what are your plans for after Christmas?  I expect you’ll be seeing Ally at some point?”

“Yeah.  Mel and I are going to head to New York City Monday morning for the live show at Madison Square Garden.  Ally’s coming to that and then we are off to Smackdown the next day.  After that, we’re going back to Vegas and Ally is flying in on Wednesday for a few days.  She has the week off.  What about you?”

“I leave Iowa on Monday morning too, but I’m headed to Raw.  It’s in Chicago, so I am just driving and then heading back home afterwards for a few more days, until the house show on Friday.  Trying to see the family as much as possible.”

“Well, tell them I said hello and Merry Christmas.”

“Will do Jon.  They said to say hi to you too.”

“How did they know you were talking to me?”

“I think by now they recognize your ringtone.  Besides, I may have shrieked something about Jon Good skyping me and it being some sort of sign of the apocalypse.”

“Ugh.  Did you use your high pitched, girly voice?” I asked with a chuckle.

“I don’t have a high pitched, girly voice Jon,” he replied indignantly.

“Alright man, whatever you say,” I teased.

“You know, I was going to tell you to call me tomorrow, to say Merry Christmas, but now I’m not so sure,” Colby whined.

“Oh, please Colby, we both know you still want me to call.”

“Fine, I do.  But I won’t enjoy it,” he stated emphatically.

“Duly noted buddy.  I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”

“See ya Jon.”

_Yep, as ridiculous and quirky as he could be, I almost always felt better after talking to Colby.  Now to go in search of that lunch I’ve been hearing about.  I’m starving._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I won't be posting for the next two weeks because I will be away on vacation, but I plan to post once a week once I get back. Hope you are enjoying it.


	41. Chapter 41

** Chapter 41 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_Four days later, I was rushing around my house in Vegas, straightening up, while Mel took her morning nap.  Ally was supposed to be arriving shortly – she was taking a cab from the airport, so I wouldn’t have to bring Mel out to get her.  It’s not like the house was a mess really, but I had to sort out all of the gifts that had been left here while I was in Florida for Christmas._

_It had been a great holiday, despite not having any of my gifts to give.  Mel had thoroughly enjoyed playing with the wrapping paper, and Joelle was so enthusiastic about everything she opened.  I was very glad I had gone out to buy her a few things.  She especially loved the Easy-Bake Oven I got her, so she could have some actual cakes for her tea parties.  And the dress-up clothes were a big hit.  Figuring I had to get her something educational too, I had gotten her a variety of books, as well as an Arts and Crafts kit._

_Of course, I still had all of the presents for her that we had bought before – well Kayla had bought them anyway.  I hadn’t really thought about Christmas yet before everything happened with Kayla’s injury.  Christmas had still been weeks away at the time, so no reason I would have been thinking about it yet – too far off the radar.  But Kayla had been busy since before Thanksgiving getting presents here and there for our family.  I, of course, didn’t have anything yet for Kayla.  But I wasn’t at all sure what to get her with how things stood between us.  Instead of an actual present, I had started to work on putting a scrapbook together so she could have pictures of Mel’s most important moments.  In fact, I was hoping Ally could help me with it when she was here.  She’s crafty like that.  If it were left entirely up to me, I would just get the pictures copied and then stick all of them haphazardly in an album.  But Ally would come up with a way to make it fun and creative._

_Speaking of Ally, I think I just heard a car pull in the driveway.  Scanning the living once more for clutter, I decided it was as good as it was going to get before going to open the front door._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick chapter, but the next one will be longer and lets us see Ally's point of view when she arrives at Jon's. I apologize for the delay, but hope to get back to posting a new chapter each week again. See you next week!


	42. Chapter 42

** Chapter 42 **

**_Ally’s POV_ **

_My brother opened the door, just as I was about to ring the bell.  He must have heard the cab in the driveway._

“Hey little brother, Merry Christmas.”

“Hi Ally.  Merry Christmas to you too.  Can I take your bags for you?”

“Sure, that would be great.  Thanks.  Am I in the guest room again?”

“Yep, it’s all set up for you.”

“Perfect.  We can take my bags up later.  So, where’s Amelia?  She is here with you, right?”

“Yeah, she’s here.  She is just taking a nap at the moment.  She should be waking up soon though.”

“Oh good.  I’m looking forward to spending some time with her.  And you too of course.”

“Of course,” Jon replied with a smirk.  “Can I get you anything to eat or drink?  I made some sandwiches and salad for lunch.  I thought you might be hungry when you got here since airplane flights only serve those ridiculously small bags of peanuts these days.”

“Actually, I am not hungry just yet, but I would love a drink.  What do you have?”

“Mel and I ran to the store this morning, so I can actually offer you something other than stale beer and baby formula.”

“Glad to hear it.  Whatcha got?”

“I have iced tea, orange juice, milk, some diet soda, and water of course.”

“I’ll take an iced tea.  I think it will hit the spot.”

“Sure thing, coming right up,” he replied as he wandered into the kitchen and returned less than a minute later.  “So, how was your Christmas?  I didn’t really get to talk to you at the live event.”

“It was fine.  I spent the day with Mom,” I answered, trying to gauge Jon’s reaction.

“Oh?  I thought you were with Kyle’s family,” he said, ignoring the part about our mom.  “I just assumed that’s where you were when we talked on Christmas day.”

“Well, I didn’t really do anything to make you doubt your assumption.  I knew you would feel less comfortable talking to me if you knew I was with Mom.”

“What happened to Kyle?  I thought you guys were still good.”

“Actually, we kind of broke up,” I admitted.

“Seriously?  When did that happen?”

“Almost a month ago,” I responded, not meeting Jon’s eyes.

“A month ago!  Why didn’t you say anything?”

“You have had kind of a busy month, if you hadn’t noticed,” I explained.

“Still, you could have told me.  I could have been there for you.  You guys were together for a couple of years.  It couldn’t have been easy parting ways.  Can I ask what happened?”

“Of course.  I wasn’t exactly hiding it from you.  I just never felt like it was the right time to bring it up.”

“Well, you can tell me now.  You have my full attention.”

“So, you know that Kyle is a school counselor.”

“Right.  That’s how you met, at work.”

“Yeah, well he is also certified to have his own private practice.”

“Okay, but I’m not seeing the connection here.”

“Patience, little brother.  Anyway, a buddy of his from grad school is opening up a private practice, and he asked Kyle to join him.”

“Is that what Kyle really wants to do?  I thought he loved working in a school.”

“He always has loved it, but with all of the junk that has been happening in education lately and the way public schools are being treated, especially where we are in New York, he has gotten a little fed up and just wants to make a change.”

“Good for him then, I guess.  But how does this lead to you two having to break up?” Jon asked, still obviously confused.

“His friend’s practice is in California.”

“Oh, now I see the issue.  Still, you could consider going with him.”

“I know, and he actually asked me to, but…”

“But what?”

“But I really don’t want to move to California.  I knew that as soon as he brought it up.  I love my job and the friends I have in New York.  And when the only plus to moving I could come up with was that I would be closer to you, I knew that we weren’t really in the kind of relationship where we would uproot our whole lives for one another.  He wanted to go, regardless of what I decided, and I wanted to stay, even if he went.  I think we both sort of realized that if we were really meant to be, we would have been more willing to make a compromise.”

“Wow.  I’m kind of surprised.  You guys seemed happy together.  He’s a nice guy.”

“He is, and we were happy, but it just wasn’t a forever kind of thing.  It’s not what you and Kayla…ugh, sorry.”

“It’s okay Ally.  I am very well aware of how special what Kayla and I had is.  You can bring it up without me falling apart, I think.”

“I know.  It’s just, I wish I could fix it all for you.  Like when you were little.  I could take care of you and make it all better when you got hurt or upset.  Can’t really do that anymore.”

“You still do that Ally.  It’s just that life got more complicated than helping me with my homework or patching up my cuts and scrapes.”

“Indeed, it did.”

“So, are you okay with the breakup?  I mean it sounds mutual, but I know he was a big part of your life.”

“I think I am doing okay.  I mean, it is obviously a change, and it was hard while he was still at work – you know, seeing him every day.  But he’s finished his 30 days’ notice, so now he won’t be around anymore.  He is moving to California and getting settled, probably as we speak.”

“I am sorry that you have that to deal with, but I am glad you made the best decision for yourself.  I wouldn’t have wanted to see you move just for him if it wasn’t something that would make you happy.  Do you want to stay with me and Mel for New Year’s?  You would have to travel to a house show with us, but you are more than welcome.  We would love to have you.”

“Thanks for the offer, but I actually have plans.  A group of us from work are all going out together.”

“As long as you are happy,” Jon commented.

“What about you?  What will you do for New Year’s Eve?”

“We have a house show, and after that I’ll probably just head back to the hotel with Mel.  Besides, I have no doubt Colby will call me at midnight.  It’s like it’s his job to look after me lately.”

“He only does it because he cares, you know.”

“I know, and I appreciate it.  It is just amusing to see him go all mother hen on me.  Joe was always more of the caretaker in our trio.”

“True, but Colby has always been willing to do anything for his friends.”

“Ain’t that the truth,” Jon said with a grin.

“So, not to bring up another sensitive subject, but I noticed you kind of ignored the fact that I said I spent Christmas with Mom.”

“Ally…” Jon said in a warning tone, which I of course decided to ignore – big sister prerogative of course.

“I know you don’t want anything to do with her, and I understand.  It has been hard for me to start spending time with her again these past couple of year, so I get it.  I do think you should know that she does seem to have changed.  No more drugs or drinking, and she has had the same man in her life for almost two years now.  Seems like a really decent guy.  Not exactly the mom I remember, that’s for sure.”

“Listen, I am glad to hear that, and I’m happy for her.  I just don’t know if I am ready to trust her again.  There’s a lot of years of hurt and anger there.  And I had to work so hard to let it all go.  I guess I am just worried it would all get stirred up again if I went to see her.”

“I get it, and I’m not telling you what you should do.  I just wanted to let you know that it seems like the changes she has made are sticking this time.”

“I appreciate you telling me, and I’ll think about it.  I’d be a hypocrite if I didn’t think she deserved a second chance, lord knows I got one after I pieced my life back together.  But I definitely don’t want her around my daughter, not until I can trust her, or at least feel like she wouldn’t do anything that would be harmful to Mel or be a bad influence.”

“Of course, I completely understand.  But maybe if Amelia is spending time with Kayla, you could consider a visit.  I would be happy to go with you.”

“We’ll see.  I’m not making any promises.”

“I’m not asking you to.  I just think that…” I began, before Amelia’s cries could be heard through the baby monitor.

“Hold that thought Ally, that’s my girl waking up.  I’ll just go get her.  And I wouldn’t be opposed to a change of topic when I get back.”

“Okay Jon, message received.”

“Good.  Now I’ll be back down in a minute.  Just make yourself at home,” he said as he headed out of the room.

_Well, that went better than I thought it would.  It is the first time he hasn’t rejected the idea of seeing mom outright.  And I don’t blame him for hesitating or for being suspicious.  I was too, at first.  But things have gone well every time I have seen in the past two years, so I feel like maybe there is hope for her and Jon.  Time will tell, I guess._


	43. Chapter 43

** Chapter 43 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

“Hey there sweetpea.  I see you are awake and ready to go.  Daddy has to thank you.  You spared him from having to continue an uncomfortable conversation that he would rather avoid.  I appreciate the save.  You could have timed it a few minutes earlier, but better late than never.  Now let’s get you changed so we can head down and see your Aunt Ally.  She is excited to get to spend some time with you.  I know you will be on your best behavior, won’t you sweetpea?  Of course you will.  You always are.

I gotta tell you though kid, Daddy isn’t sure how he feels about what your Aunt Ally was saying.  She wants me to go see your grandma for the first time in over ten years.  Not your Nana, we see her all the time, don’t we?  But your Daddy’s mom.  You’ve never met her, and I am not sure if you ever will.  It’s a pretty tough call for Daddy to make.  What do you think I should do?” I asked as Mel just smiled up at me and waved her arms in response.  “I know.  Giving her a chance is probably the right thing to do.  I just don’t know if I’m up for it though, ya know?  Being around your grandma doesn’t make Daddy feel very good about himself,” I explained as I finished re-dressing Mel.  “I know what you’re thinking.  You’re thinking Daddy is being a chickenshit.  And normally I would scold you for swearing, but in this case, you have a point,” I said as I scooped her up and cradled her to my chest.  “Okay, fine, I’ll think about it.  I mean really think about it.  You make some very compelling arguments, and it is always hard for me to say to you, isn’t it?  And here I thought you were saving me from this conversation.  Turns out you and your aunt are in cahoots, aren’t you?” 

_Mel just grabbed my finger and babbled in response._

“Yep, I am definitely being double teamed here.  I thought you were always on my side Mel,” I said with a sigh as Mel let out a loud noise, almost like she was scolding me.  “Okay, I get it.  You think it would be good for Daddy to do this and are trying to help me make the right decision, even if it isn’t what I want to hear.  What is it with the women in my life, never afraid to hit me with the cold, hard truth?  Figures you are just adding yourself to the mix.  Still, I thought I had more time before you would start throwing in with the rest of them,” I grumbled.  “Don’t worry though sweetpea, Daddy still loves you, and I appreciate your honestly.  Now let’s go tell your Aunt Ally that Daddy will give it a shot sometime – quick, before I change my mind.”

_That decision made, I walked downstairs with Mel cooing at me softly.  She looked happy, like she was pleased with my decision.  I knew it would make my sister happy too.  With that thought in mind, I was completely taken by surprise when I got to the living room and found Ally sitting on the couch with tears in her eyes.  I was immediately confused and concerned about what was wrong and went over to sit next to her, my conversation with Mel temporarily forgotten._

“Hey Ally, what’s wrong?  Is this about Kyle?”

“No, it’s not about Kyle,” she said, giving me a sheepish grin.

“What is it then?  You seemed fine when I went upstairs,” I replied, still not sure what was going on with her.

“Nothing’s wrong Jon.  I’m actually just so happy that you are finally going to give Mom a chance.”

“What?  How did you…?”

“You forgot to turn off the baby monitor.  I heard every word you said.  And I have to say, Amelia is very wise for her age.”

“Okay, I am going to try and pretend like I am not so embarrassed that I would like to be swallowed up by a black hole,” I replied, feeling absolutely mortified that she had heard my entire conversation with my daughter.

“Don’t be embarrassed Jon.  That was one of the sweetest things I have ever heard.  I mean, I know you talk to Amelia all the time, but I didn’t know you talked to her like that – working through your thoughts.  It was extremely touching.”

“Yeah, well, um,”

“I know you’d rather not hear me say that.  But I just want you to know that it means a whole lot to me that you are willing to give it a shot with Mom.  And I promise you if it doesn’t go well, or if you never want to go back, for any reason, I won’t bring it up again.”

“Well, it obviously means a lot to you, and Mel is really putting her foot down about it,” I joked, trying to lighten the mood.

“And I am very glad to have her on my side.  Now let me see my niece so I can give her a proper hello.”

“Hey Mel, I am going to give you to your Aunt Ally now.  You remember her.  We saw her a few weeks ago.  She’s going to hold you while I go get our lunch together.  Maybe I’ll even find you some yummy baby food.  Maybe some squash or peas?  What do you think about that?” I asked as Ally settled Mel in her arms and she blew a bubble.

“That’s obviously a yes, right Jon?”

“I think it is.  I will be back in a few minutes, and then you can witness the full experience of me trying to feed my daughter.  It is quite the show,” I said as I left to get us all some lunch.

_My head was still reeling a bit from agreeing to see my mom again.  I could only hope it was the right decision._


	44. Chapter 44

** Chapter 44 **

**_Jon’s POV_ **

_It was New Year’s Eve and Mel and I had just gotten back to our hotel room after the house show.  It was about 10:00 and Mel was sound asleep in her portable crib.  I was just sitting down to watch one of those New Year’s Eve specials on television when I heard a light knock at my door.  I wondered who it could possibly be.  All of my friends and co-workers were headed out to ring in the new year at a local club.  They invited me of course, but it wasn’t like I could go to a club with Mel.  Not really my scene anymore anyway._

_I got to the door just as whoever it was started to knock again.  I was pretty surprised when I opened it up to reveal Brie, who had a small backpack slung over her shoulder._

“Hey Brie, what’s up?  Why aren’t you out with your husband?”

“Bryan went out with the rest of the gang to the club and I wasn’t exactly up for that,” she said, indicating her expanding belly.  “Not really doing the whole Brie Mode thing anymore.  At least not for another four months or so.  Anyway, I thought we could hang out.  I brought a couple of beers for you, some stuff for a Shirley Temple for me, snacks, and a deck of cards.  I’m prepared for anything, if you don’t mind the company that is,” she said looking uncertain for a minute.

“Of course I don’t mind.  In fact, I appreciate you thinking of me.  And I think we can put together our own New Year’s party.  What kind of snacks do you have?”

“I brought popcorn and Doritos.  Then I have a bunch of candy like gummy worms, M&Ms, and Now and Laters.”

“You know what the candy sounds perfect for?”

“Other than eating?” she asked, looking a little confused.

“We’ll get to that.  But I think they sound like the perfect poker chips.  You said you brought cards, right?”

“I did indeed.  What’s your pleasure?  Poker, Blackjack, Go-Fish?” she replied with a smirk.

“You know how to play poker?”

“Seriously Jon?  I’ve been on the road with WEE Superstars for years.  You think I haven’t learned how to play poker?”

“Good point.  But we usually play Euchre or Spades when Kayla and I get together with you and Bryan.  Don’t think we have ever done poker before.”

“That’s because Kayla and I know you two would turn it into some form of strip poker if we let you.”

“Well, I am very good at poker,” I joked.

“Let’s see what ya got there, cowboy.”

“Alright, but prepare to lose a lot of that candy,” I taunted.

“We’ll just see about that Jon,” she answered as she began to shuffle the cards while I opened the bag of popcorn and the Doritos before I cleared off some space on the table.


	45. Chapter 45

** Chapter 45 **

**_Brie’s POV_ **

_Jon and I played poker for over an hour, decided to change to blackjack for a while, and were now back to poker.  It was just about ten minutes before midnight and I was feeling very glad Bryan had suggested this when I didn’t feel like going out.  Jon and I were actually having a pretty good time.  His competitiveness was showing, as he worked to get his candy pile as big as mine again.  It was pretty amusing._

“Okay, I will see your four M&Ms and raise you five gummy bears and a Now and Later,” he said, with a very serious look on his face.

“Pretty big bet there, for someone who is losing,” I teased.

“I’m just hitting my stride kiddo,” he responded.  “You’re going down!”

“Seems like a lot of bluster to me.  I think you are bluffing.  I call.”

“You call?  Come on, can’t you fold, just this once?”

“What’s the matter Jon?  Did I beat you again?”  I taunted, reaching for the pile of candy.

“Not so fast Brie.  For your information, I actually have a very good hand.  Read ’em and weep.  Full house,” he said proudly.

“Are you kidding me?  How did you manage that?” I asked, eyeing him suspiciously.

“Just lucky, I guess,” he answered with a smirk.

“Not lucky enough,” I stated, laying down my four of a kind.

“Ugh, you’ve got to be kidding me.  I finally have a winning hand and that’s what you end up with?  Are you cheating?” he accused, trying to smile to look serious.

“Are you questioning my integrity Jon?  Just because you are losing?”

“Maybe.  I don’t usually get my ass handed to me like this.  And I was really looking forward to eating some of that candy,” he explained, pouting a little.

“Well, you still have a small pile.  And we can keep playing if you want.”

“No, I think my ego has taken enough of a beating for one night,” he said with a chuckle.

_Competitiveness aside, he was being an awfully good sport and I had really enjoyed myself._

“Don’t worry Jon, you can tell everyone you beat me.”

“No, no.  I always give credit where credit is due.  And I have to admit, I had a pretty good time, even though I was losing.  Thanks for keeping me company.”

“Not a problem Jon.  I had a good time too.  It has been a while since we got together with our spouses.  But Bryan and I have always enjoyed your guys’ company.  I hope we will be able to do it again someday.”

“I hope so too,” he commented, sounding somber for a moment.  “But we are definitely not playing poker,” he insisted.

“Whatever you say Jon.  I mean, you know, if you’re too scared to try again.”

“Why you little…Dean Ambrose is scared of nothing!”

“Yeah, yeah.  So you say.  We’ll just have to see about that.”

“Listen Brie, don’t think that I’m above getting revenge on a pregnant woman for getting smart with me,” Jon quipped.

“Right, like I believe you would hurt me.”

“Of course I wouldn’t hurt you, but there are other ways to…”

_His words were cut off by the sound of his cell phone ringing._

“You are saved by the bell young lady.  I’m sure that is Colby, wishing me a Happy New Year.  Just a second.”

“Go ahead and take the call, Jon.  I should get going anyway.”

“Hey Colby, hold on a minute man, I’ll be right with you,” Jon said into the phone before covering the speaker and talking to me again.  “Thanks again for coming.  You made my New Year’s Eve much more entertaining.”

“Ditto Jon.  Happy New Year.  I’ll see you tomorrow,” I said as I left with my winnings and gave him a kiss on the cheek.

“Happy New Year to you too.  See ya,” he said as he closed the door.

_I think that was good for both of us.  Now to wait for my husband to make it home so I could have a proper New Year’s kiss._

**Author's Note:**

> Please feel free to leave comments or Kudos. They are much appreciated.


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